It Runs in the Family
by emiko150
Summary: An AU re-telling of Bleach from the very beginning where the Kurosaki family (Ichigo, Karin, Yuzu, and Isshin) play much more significant roles. Rated T for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

Yuzu scooped some stew into the ladle, brought it to her lips, and smiled. Perfect. Just like mom used to make. She began scooping portions into four bowls and called out to her twin and father, "Karin-chan! Otou-san! Dinner's ready!" She carried the bowls to the table, greeting her twin sister along the way.

Her sister was wearing a scowl on her face, one much deeper than the usual one. "Karin-chan, something wrong?"

Karin turned to her sister. She shrugged. "No, not really. Ichi-nii can handle it."

"Oh, speaking of Onii-chan, is he home yet?"

"He's beating up some delinquents," Karin said matter-of-factly, grabbing chopsticks from the drawer to set on the table. "The idiots knocked over the vase."

"HOW CARELESS!" A boisterous voice called out loudly from the next room.

Karin grimaced while Yuzu smiled half-heartedly. "Otou-san…"

"7:01 pm! Your brother is late!" The patriarch of the household, Isshin yelled out, running in pace as if to expend excess energy.

Yuzu sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get her father to sit down at the table until he "greeted" his son. So, she took her seat next to Karin and brought her hands together, closed her eyes in prayer, then began to eat. Five minutes later, the typical yelling and crashing sounds ensued. Yuzu decided to take up some small talk with her twin, "Karin-chan, you can see ghosts too, can't you?" Yuzu paused her chopsticks at her mouth, thinking quietly to herself. "At the very least, I can sense them. Dad's the only one who can't sense anything, huh?"

Karin dug into her dinner impassively. "I don't believe in ghosts. Even if I see them, refusing to acknowledge that they exist makes it the same as them not existing in the first place."

Yuzu pouted. She was envious of her older siblings. Karin can probably see spirits just as clearly as, if not more clearly than Ichigo. The black-haired girl was most likely too stubborn to admit it. Yuzu wanted to see spirits more clearly too. She glanced at the large "memorial poster" of their mother. _Seeing spirits… would be nice._ Yuzu thought.

* * *

The next morning, Isshin woke up early. He had a meeting to attend, for "official hospital business." It would certainly seem that way to anyone else, as he began walking toward Ishida Hospital. He took the elevator up to the top floor and stopped in front of the director's office. He pushed the buzzer, "Yo, Ryuuken, open up."

A white-haired man appeared at the door. "Shiba. About time." He opened the door wider for the man to step inside. "So? Any updates about Ichigo, Karin, and Yuzu?"

Isshin shook his head. He took a seat on the couch and folded his arms over his chest. "Nothing significant. Ichigo and Karin seem to have much higher sensitivity to spirits. Ichigo especially. It's strange. We already know the spirit type for Karin and Yuzu, but Ichigo… it's as Urahara said. He's a complete enigma."

Ryuuken sighed, pushing his glasses up. "All we can do is observe for now." He looked at Isshin with a more solemn look. "And you? How goes your… work?"

"I'm going to go again tonight," Isshin said darkly. He smirked shortly afterwards, "Why? Worried about me?"

"Ayane-san, please escort Shiba-san out of my office." Ryuuken deadpanned as Isshin laughed wholeheartedly at his friend's expense.

* * *

That night, Ichigo lay in bed, contemplating the day's events. _What was that monster? And that girl with the sword?_ Ichigo narrowed his eyes. Why were things becoming so complicated? He was starting to get sick of seeing spirits. _Nothing good has ever come from seeing them._ Memories of a riverbank flashed behind his eyes. He cursed.

Earlier that day, Ichigo had been minding his own business in Karakura square. Crashes. Screams. Before he knew it, he was running away from a black monster chasing after the ghost that he rescued the evening before. Then, there was a mysterious figure in front of him. They were unlike any of the other spirits he had come across. The monster's presence suffocated Ichigo with its feral and fearsome energy. Her presence felt more covert and muffled. Ichigo could tell the difference between spirits and humans now that he was older; they gave off a different air that was difficult to explain. But, this girl seemed to have much more spirit energy, but it felt like the energy was repressed, coiling and writhing within her as if wanting to escape. That strange energy seemed to be released as she slashed her sword but then returned to its original state as she left.

Ichigo grunted, refusing to let this person consume his thoughts any more than she already had.

Just then, the black-clad girl from this afternoon, who had been plaguing his thoughts, leapt into his room from the window. "What? Who the hell are you?" Ichigo gaped.

"It's close…" the mysterious figure whispered ominously to herself.

Ichigo kicked her furiously, knocking her to the ground.

* * *

Karin heard a crash from Ichigo's room but ignored it. She huffed. "Must be another spirit annoying him," she muttered, sensing the presence of two spirits from her brother's room. One was nothing special; it was the same one that had bothered her during dinner yesterday. _But, this other one… it feels… different._ _I can't put my finger on it. Something about this spirit's presence… it feels muted. Like hearing a scream being muffled by a pillow._ Karin thought to herself, placing her book down. It was strange. It wasn't like any of those other annoying spirits that Karin had encountered until now. She ran a hand through her hair.

"Karin-chan? Something wrong?" Yuzu paused from scooping the leftover nikujaga into Tupperware containers.

"No. Nothing really." Karin said, not wanting to worry her twin.

Yuzu finished, placing the containers in the refrigerator. "Are you sure?" Yuzu started walking towards her sister, standing near the dinner table where Karin was sitting.

An ominous screech rang out. It sent a chill down Karin's spine as she froze with fear. "Yuzu, did you hear that?" Karin regarded her sister.

Yuzu looked puzzled, "Hear wha—" An arm crashed through the wall and swatted Yuzu, causing her to collide with the wall. Yuzu let out a shout of pain as she fell to the ground. She coughed and wheezed as she tried to push herself up on her knees.

"Yuzu!" Karin yelled, getting to her feet. She knocked over the chair she was sitting in. Her eyes widened, all previous thoughts about the strange spiritual presence in her brother's room completely wiped away by distress. Karin ran to her twin's side, scooping her head into her lap, "Yuzu! Yuzu!" Karin shouted desperately.

Yuzu let out a cough and whimpered in pain. Her eyes widened when she looked at Karin, "Karin-chan! What was that? It feels like there's something here!"

Just as Yuzu said that, Karin looked up. She saw the black monster that hit Yuzu stalking closer. Karin grit her teeth and lifted Yuzu to her feet, wrapping Yuzu's arm around her shoulder to steady her. "Yuzu, can you stand on your own?"

"Eh?" Yuzu let out a sound of confusion.

"Can you stand or not!?" Karin yelled with a tone of desperation.

Yuzu's eyes widened. Karin _never_ raised her voice at Yuzu like that. Yuzu could only nod as she shifted her weight off of Karin's shoulders and onto her own feet.

"Go find Ichi-nii." Karin ordered with determination, eyes not leaving the monster. It had lifted the couch in the air, as if it was looking for something underneath it. Its white mask went skyward, sniffing the air.

"But, Karin-chan!"

"Just go! You can't even see that thing, Yuzu!" Karin turned towards her, a wild look in her eyes, "Go! Do you want _all_ of us to die!?"

That was enough to get Yuzu to move. Yuzu started to run toward the stairs. The movement caused the monster to look in her direction. It wound up its arm as if it were about to swipe at Yuzu again.

A knife hit its mask. The sharp point had hit the mask, but it didn't pierce the monster. It fell to the ground below the monster with a thud. "Hey, Ugly! Over here!"

While Yuzu had run for the stairs, Karin had run for the kitchen, arming herself with the knife rack on the counter. Karin stared down the monster with a snarl on her face.

* * *

Yuzu had started running up the stairs. _What was that thing?_ Yuzu thought as she bounded up the stairs. She couldn't really see much. She could only see slight distortions, like a mirage, near the gaping hole left in their kitchen. _Karin-chan is alone with it! I have to hurry!_

Yuzu tripped on one of the steps, but she caught herself with her hand, not stopping at all as she kept running. _I need to get Onii-chan!_

By the time she reached the top, the adrenaline that had been allowing her to run had worn off. She slowed to a walk in front of her brother's open door. "Onii-chan…" Through the door, she saw an orange head of hair on the floor. She could vaguely hear cries of desperation coming from within the room. A hazy image of a black-haired girl appeared in front of her eyes. She thought of her black-haired twin downstairs, but she couldn't form a coherent explanation, "Karin-chan… Onii-chan…" Yuzu reached a hand out towards the hazy image of her brother and black-haired figure. A tear rolled down Yuzu's cheek, "Please, save… Karin-chan!" Yuzu felt her knees give out as she collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Karin was hurling knives and any silverware she could get her hands on at the monster. Battle cries ripped from her throat as she tried to grab something else to throw at the monster. Her fingers wrapped around air as she cursed. She jumped over an arm as it tried to swipe at her. Before she hit the ground though, its other hand had grabbed her out of the air. Karin cried out in pain as it squeezed. She was going to be strangled at this rate. Karin opened one eye, staring at the white mask of the monster. It was bringing her closer to its mouth.

 _S… th… …ll you …an do …uh?_ A voice in the back of her mind seemed to be calling out to her. Its tone was condescending, and it annoyed her. _S… …eak._

Karin glared at the monster. It had opened its mouths.

 _I bet you can't even hear me._ Karin's eyes shot open, and she tried to open her mouth to retort.

"Karin!" Her brother's desperate howl of her name sent her careening back to reality. The monster closed its mouth as it turned toward her brother's voice.

Karin forgot all about the voice and barely noticed the presence of a black haired girl next to her brother. All she could focus on was her brother, and he was running toward her and the monster with a ladder in his hands. Nothing had injured this monster so far, and Karin didn't want her brother to get captured or hurt, so she yelled, "Ichi-nii! RUN!"

* * *

Ichigo followed the Shinigami downstairs. His sisters were in danger. He couldn't let them get hurt. His thoughts were scattered as he rolled down the steps. The Shinigami seemed to be saying something, but he ignored her. All he saw was one of his sisters wrapped up in the grasp of a monster. He roared as he forced his arms apart. He was going to save Karin and Yuzu, or he was going to die trying. He would never let anyone from his family die in front of him. _Never again._

By sheer will-power, Ichigo had ripped his bindings apart, grabbing a ladder as he ran toward the monster squeezing the life out of his sister. He swung it down, but the monster's fist had collided with him. His rage had blinded him, only allowing him to see the monster in front of him but not its hand to his right.

"Ichi-nii!" Karin called out to him.

He staggered to his feet again. The monster seemed to be saying something. "Karin…" Ichigo wheezed. The monster was reaching for him again. Ichigo growled and grit his teeth.

A slash sliced the monster's hand holding Karin, causing it to release her. Ichigo's mind started to find some clarity as he sprinted underneath Karin to catch her. "Karin! Wake up!" It seemed the situation had taken its toll on the 11-year-old.

"Don't worry. She and your other sister will be fine. You need to take them away from here," Rukia said, her blade still poised in front of her even though the hollow had retreated.

* * *

Karin slowly opened her eyes as she regained consciousness. What she saw immediately caught her attention. Her brother was facing the mysterious black figure from before. But the katana she was holding was poised at her brother's chest. Her brother seemed to be grasping the blade himself. Karin wheezed as she tried to get to her feet, "Ichi-nii!"

But it was too late. Her brother had been impaled by the katana. Karin could only look on helplessly, tears that she thought had dried up long ago, threatening to spill down her cheeks. She had little time to react as a flood of energy, similar to and yet different from the kind that spirits have, flooded her senses. She held up an arm as the rush of energy nearly knocked her back.

She gasped as she watched her brother leap into action, wielding what looked like a very large katana. With its size though, it seemed more like a greatsword. Something within Karin seemed to be responding to her brother's energy. Something instinctive within her was roaring in the back of her mind. Ichigo seemed to be wielding the weapon as if it was second nature to him. Karin wondered if he also felt something similar to what she was feeling now. Something raw and inexplicable.

Karin's eyes fell upon the now white-clad black-haired girl leaning against the wall. She seemed just as mesmerized, watching Ichigo slay the monster with what could only be called brute strength. Karin turned back to her brother who was now resting his weapon upon his shoulder, standing victorious over the monster.

Karin's fist clenched, and she closed her eyes, trying to quiet the noise in the back of her mind.

"Hey, you! What gives? Are you with that thing too?" Karin was pointing an accusatory finger at Rukia.

Ichigo rushed over to his sister's side. "Karin, are you okay?"

"Not now, Ichi-nii!" Karin glowered at Rukia angrily. Right before impaling Ichigo and giving her powers to him, they had exchanged names.

Ichigo placed a hand on Karin's shoulder. His own temper was starting to get to him now that the danger had been taken care of. "Don't give me that, 'Not now,' crap! I'm asking you if you're okay, damn it! You were hurt by that monster, weren't you!?"

His tone seemed to grab his sister's attention as she whirled on him with fear in her eyes. "Yuzu…"

Ichigo's eyes widened, and he ran back into the house, running up the steps two at a time with Karin close behind him. When they reached the top, Ichigo saw Yuzu exactly where she had collapsed in front of his room. He knelt by Yuzu's side and scooped her into his arms. "Karin! Let's go! We need to get her to a hospital!"

Karin nodded in agreement. The two of them were running out the door again, Ichigo seemingly intent on running all the way to Ishida Hospital with Yuzu in his arms.

"My, my! Quite the mess your family is in, Kurosaki-san!"

Ichigo and Karin both turned around slowly, both thinking that this new voice was calling out to them. Instead, they were greeted with a strange man wearing a hat and sandals, talking to their father.

"Oyaji!" Ichigo and Karin called out together.

Isshin ran straight to his children, enveloping all three of them into his arms. "Thank god you three are safe."

Karin held back tears as she shoved her father out of the hug. If Karin had been a different girl, maybe she would have surrendered to the comforting embrace and cried tears of relief. But she wasn't. She was Kurosaki Karin, and she was not going to lose herself in the moment—no matter how much she wanted to—when her sister was still unconscious. "Oyaji! You have to drive us to the hospital! Yuzu—"

"—will be fine, Kurosaki-san," Hat and sandals spoke up from behind his fan. He was kneeling beside Rukia, appearing to examine her condition.

Ichigo and Karin glared. Ichigo was the one to speak up, "Who the hell—"

"Urahara Kisuke. I own a candy shop near here. I happened to hear the commotion and came right over to offer my services." Urahara said with a tone of smugness.

"'Services?'" Ichigo asked incredulously.

"What the hell can a candy shop owner do in a situation like this?" Karin questioned with a sneer. She was about to continue, but she stopped her words in their tracks as Urahara suddenly closed the 15-meter distance in less than a second. Karin's eyes widened as a tiny cloud of smoke and a bird on a spring popped out of a toy. Ichigo watched in shock as her eyes glazed over, and her knees started to give out. Isshin caught her before her knees hit the ground.

If Ichigo wasn't holding Yuzu, he would have been talking with his fists, "What the hell did you do to her!?"

"Calm down, Ichigo. It was probably for the best," Isshin said as he carried Karin over to the wall near Rukia, leaning her against it in a sitting position.

"What do you—" Before Ichigo could finish talking, the strange shopkeeper had used the toy on Yuzu as well.

"Memory replacement," Rukia said suddenly. "It would be too traumatic and dangerous for your sisters to remember the events that transpired tonight." Ichigo was so dumbfounded that he barely felt Isshin take Yuzu out of his arms and place her near Karin.

"Precisely, Kuchiki-san!" Urahara grinned. "Our shop can offer a service to remedy your situation as well. Tessai-san can fix you right up!" Urahara closed his fan and slapped it against the palm of his hand. "Kurosaki Ichigo-san, perhaps it would be best for you to return to your body for now."

Ichigo looked at the man with a look of confusion. Urahara pointed toward the ground behind him with his fan. Ichigo's gaze followed the gesture and he saw his seemingly lifeless body lying in front of Rukia. "What the—" Ichigo was cut off again by an abrupt blow to the back of his neck, knocked unconscious.

"Sorry, son. There's too much to get done tonight to explain it all right now."

Urahara caught Ichigo easily. "Don't worry, Kurosaki-san. You'll understand soon," Urahara said to the unconscious Ichigo.

* * *

 **6 years later and I'm back at FFN. Hopefully with writing that is less cringy.**

 **I have more chapters written for this story, but I was hoping that I could get a beta reader for advice on avoiding cringy plots/OOCness. Also, I'm testing the water. I mean, do people even read Bleach fanfiction after the debacle of 686?**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

That morning, Ichigo was woken up by his father's flying kick. A cry of pain rang out from the Kurosaki household.

"Not bad, my son. Clearly, you are improving." Isshin remarked as he nursed the bruise forming on his head from Ichigo's counter.

Something appeared to dawn on Ichigo. "Nevermind that! Yuzu and Karin—are they okay!?" Ichigo shouted at his father.

Isshin's expression turned serious. "Why don't you come downstairs and see for yourself?"

The two of them came down the stairs. Ichigo had pushed past his father, worried about what the serious tone in his father's voice meant. "Yuzu! Karin!"

"Oh! Good morning, Onii-chan! I made breakfast already," Yuzu exclaimed in a chipper voice. "It's a good thing that car crashing into the house last night didn't damage the stove. We would have been in real trouble!"

Ichigo stared blankly at his youngest sister, who seemed to have no injuries sustained. He felt relieved but also confused by her attitude. _Car crash?_ At that moment, he remembered the strange girl named Rukia and that even stranger man named Urahara. _They really wiped their memories?_ Ichigo glanced down at his other sister who was quietly sitting at the table.

Karin seemed to be lost in thought, staring down at her plate of untouched food. Being quiet wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for his little sister. But, there was something about the expression on her face. Karin dazedly followed up on Yuzu's remark, "It's odd that none of us woke up."

Isshin's hand clapped down on Ichigo's shoulder, as if it was some kind of comforting gesture. Ichigo took that as a signal: _Play along_. Isshin walked past Ichigo and took a seat at the table, "Well, the important thing is that we're all safe! Yuzu! Bring papa the soy sauce."

Ichigo hesitantly sat at the table. Ichigo watched his father warily, as the patriarch acted as if it was any other morning in the Kurosaki household.

* * *

Ichigo sat at his desk, lost in thought about the events of last night. It all seemed so surreal. _Shinigami? Hollows? What the hell was with this complicated mess? And based on what I saw this morning, Oyaji knows more than I do._ Ichigo clenched his fists in frustration.

Ichigo looked up at the sound of his name. Keigo was being noisy again, as usual.

Mizuiro was asking him about his house and if they were okay. Ichigo wanted to scoff. _Okay? I feel like I'm going out of my freaking mind._

A deep voice called out from above him. Ichigo gave a polite refusal to Chad's offer of assistance.

"Oh, my! Sounds like you're going through quite a lot!" A voice that Ichigo would never forget called out next to him. It was much higher pitched and obnoxious sounding, but Ichigo recognized it immediately as he turned to look at the owner.

Ichigo stared at her with a look of disbelief. "You! Why are you he—" Ichigo has been getting cut off a lot recently.

"I'm Kuchiki Rukia! I just transferred to this class, and I'll be sitting next to you this semester!" Rukia extended her hand. Ichigo read the terrifying message on it: _Say anything and I'll kill you._

Ichigo was speechless. He knew when an opponent was out of his league, and he didn't want to involve his classmates. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo." Ichigo repeated the words he had told her last night before she stabbed him with the same tone: determined with a hint of desperation.

She smiled good-naturedly at him. "Well, Kurosaki-kun! Aren't you just the kindest gentleman! Since we're going to be situated in proximity to one another, it would be splendid if we could get along and cooperate this year!"

Rukia pushed some of her hair behind her shoulder as Ichigo fought the urge to gag at her strange mannerisms and speech.

"I have a feeling that we're going to be great friends," she gave him a meaningful look and continued, "Feel free to call me Rukia! Since I just moved here, I would like to trouble you with showing me around Karakura after school today."

Keigo seemed like he wanted to offer his services instead, what with Ichigo's house situation, but Ichigo cut him off. "Fine by me. I'll see you after school then, Rukia." _I have plenty of questions to ask you._

* * *

"Kurosaki-kun, please follow me!" Rukia's high-pitched voice called out to Ichigo.

"Cut the shit, Rukia. We're already outside the school gate, and no one is walking near us. So, you can drop the act."

Rukia smirked at him and kept walking ahead. "It's pretty good, considering I learned it in one night, huh?"

Ichigo scoffed at her. "Maybe a century ago."

Now that Ichigo didn't have to worry about the prying eyes or curious ears of his classmates, he took an aggressive approach. He picked up his pace enough to stand in front of her, effectively stopping her. He towered over her small stature, trying to appear intimidating. "I'm not going anywhere with you until you answer my questions."

Rukia gave him an unimpressed look, and it infuriated Ichigo to no end.

"Let's start with an easy one. Why the hell are you still here? Shouldn't you be in Soul Society or whatever?"

Rukia closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. She looked at him with an intense look on her face. "Just follow me. Urahara will answer any and all questions that you need to know."

Ichigo growled, "I said I'm not going anywhere."

Rukia sighed exasperatedly. "I was going to spare you the embarrassment. But, you're being annoying and I have run out of patience." Before Ichigo could get another word in, Rukia had punched him square in the stomach. Ichigo felt the wind knock out of him. Before he lost consciousness, he felt his world turning upside down as Rukia hoisted him over her shoulder.

"Kuchiki-san, hasn't the boy been through enough? Knocking him unconscious was a bit excessive, don't you think?"

"I brought him here. What are you complaining about?"

"I wouldn't expect him to follow willingly anyway."

Ichigo slowly regained consciousness and found himself laying on a tatami floor. He slowly sat up and groaned at the pain in his gut. "What the hell? Where am I?"

"Ah, you're awake! Welcome to Urahara Shoten!" An obnoxiously cheerful voice called out to him.

Ichigo groaned again, but this time out of annoyance. "You're that weird 'shopkeeper.'"

"Bingo!" Urahara grinned at Ichigo. "Would you like some tea, Kurosaki-san? Come, have a seat," Urahara gestured to one of the cushions at the table as he poured a steaming cup of green tea.

"To hell with your stupid tea! I'm not here for some stupid afternoon tea pa—"

"Ichigo, just sit down." Ichigo finally took notice of his father sitting at the table, his arms folded over his chest. He hadn't noticed earlier because Isshin had his back turned to him. Ichigo took a breath and assessed his surroundings. Urahara was seated at the table, along with a very large man with sunglasses. A black haired girl with twin tails was seated quietly beside a red haired boy who had his elbow propped up on the table and his chin resting in his hand. His father was seated next to an empty cushion that he presumed was for him. Rukia was on the other side of it, sipping her tea with a sense of nobility.

Ichigo quietly took a seat at the empty cushion. He could play ball, if it meant finally getting some answers.

"Now then, allow me to explain, Kurosaki-san." Urahara paused in thought. "I suppose it's confusing since the both of you are Kurosaki-san!" Urahara laughed wholeheartedly. Ichigo glared at the shopkeeper. Urahara only smiled back as he continued, "To put a long story short, you have taken Kuchiki-san's Shinigami powers from her."

"I already knew that. She explained that to me before she stabbed me. I want to know what the hell she's still doing here."

"Unfortunately, Kurosaki-san, her return to Soul Society has become complicated. You have taken essentially all of Kuchiki-san's powers from her. She barely has more reiatsu and reiryoku than an average human."

"Reiatsu and reiryoku?"

"Spiritual pressure and spiritual power, numb nuts," the red haired boy rudely answered Ichigo. "You know, the shit that you have tons of, allowing you to see and talk to ghosts."

Ichigo gaped at the young boy who seemed to be more informed than he was. _How the hell did some brat know more about this than I do?_ Ichigo recalled his conversation with Rukia. She did tell him that he had a lot of reiatsu and reiryoku for a human. _And that's why my family was attacked by that monster._ Ichigo clenched his fists.

"Until I recover my powers, I cannot return to Soul Society." Rukia stated as she sipped her tea. She glared down at the cup when she set it back down on the table. "And I am unable to perform my Shinigami duties while I am in this faux body."

"That's where you come in, Kurosaki-san!" Urahara exclaimed cheerfully. "Since you hold Rukia's powers, you will perform the soul burials and cleanse the hollows of Karakura town in Kuchiki-san's stead!"

Ichigo immediately stood up, "I refuse! Why the hell should I get involved with that kind of dangerous shit!"

Rukia stood up with him, squaring off, " _What?_ Even I am willing to admit that you fought magnificently. You can't refuse!"

Ichigo grit his teeth as he faced her fully. He put his arms up in an X shape, "I refuse! I almost died! Why the hell would I want to—"

Rukia's phone chirped, cutting Ichigo off. Ichigo sensed a change in atmosphere as everyone's attention went to the phone. Rukia flipped it open and looked at the screen.

"Rukia-chan," Isshin's voice called out. "Why don't you and my idiot son take a walk?" Isshin said with a tone that made his words seem like they held another meaning.

Without a word, Rukia produced a red glove, with a design of a skull engulfed in a blue flame. She slid it onto her hand and hit Ichigo square in the chin with it. Ichigo protested as Rukia dragged him out the door by the back of the collar of his black Shinigami robes.

* * *

"What the hell!" Ichigo was yelling at Rukia. He struggled against her, grabbing at the arm that was holding onto the back of his collar. But her grip was too strong, and she seemed to drag him with little to no effort. _Lost her powers, my ass!_ Ichigo continued to fight his way out of her death grip.

She stopped suddenly in front of Karakura playground. Ichigo stopped his struggling when he heard the familiar roar of a hollow. Rukia dropped his collar, and Ichigo scrambled to his feet as he saw the hollow closing in on a young boy. Ichigo cursed as he sprang into action, jumping over the barricade.

"Wait!"

"What?" Ichigo whirled on Rukia.

"Where are you going?" Rukia asked with a glare. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Where does it look like I'm going!? I'm going to go help him!"

"Why the hell should you get involved with that kind of dangerous shit?" Rukia fired his words from earlier at him.

Ichigo felt his tongue tie itself into knots. He clenched his fists and grit his teeth. Having his words be redirected at him like this felt like a shotgun being pressed into his stomach. "I can't just ignore him!"

"Stop being so damn naïve and selfish!" Rukia shouted at him. "This isn't a game! Lives are at stake when taking on the role of a Shinigami! You can't just save the souls of the people you know or the souls that you can see. Souls like this child are being attacked by hollows whether you see them in front of you or not! Carrying out the duties of a Shinigami requires the willingness to sacrifice everything, including your life, for the sake of protecting those who _can't_ fight for themselves."

Ichigo stared at Rukia as her words resonated with something within him. He had flashbacks of his mother's lifeless body lying on top of his own. The boy's cries got louder as the distance between him and the monster grew smaller and smaller. Ichigo cursed, turning away from Rukia again.

"Don't save him!" Rukia shouted. Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut as Rukia's words froze him in place. He could hear the boy's sobs and the hollow's screeches. Rukia's voice still carried over, "Let the hollow rip his soul to shreds. Unless you're prepared and willing to take the Shinigami oath and duty of protecting _all_ souls, regardless of the cost."

Ichigo grit his teeth. He slashed his sword swiftly with no elegance whatsoever. The hollow began to howl as it reared back, one of its legs cut off by Ichigo. Rukia had a small smile on her face, "Ichigo, you made the right cho—"

"That's bullshit," Ichigo interrupted her. "Shinigami duty? Don't give me that. I'll save them because I _want to save them._ You're the same too, aren't you?"

This time, Rukia was tongue-tied.

"As if you were thinking of your damn Shinigami duty when you jumped in front of me and got bitten by that hollow." Ichigo slashed another leg off the hollow when it tried to lunge for another attack. "Sacrificing yourself for _duty_ …" Ichigo wound his katana back. "Bullshit!" The hollow was slain by a powerful strike from Ichigo's sword.

Ichigo pointed a finger at Rukia as he swung his sword to rest on his shoulder. "I'm not some saint that's willing to sacrifice myself for some bullshit like duty. But I'm not scum that's willing to let a debt go unpaid either." Ichigo stalked toward Rukia. He held his hand out to her. "I'll do it. This stupid Shinigami shit, until you recover."

Rukia smiled at him, taking his hand in hers. "Yeah. Thanks."

Ichigo huffed. "Now put me back in my body! I'm going home."

"Not to worry, Kurosaki-san! Your father carried your body back to your home." Urahara suddenly appeared. Urahara removed his hat and bowed. "Thank you for accepting, Kurosaki-san. Shinigami training begins tomorrow after school!"

Ichigo groaned.

* * *

 **Another update! Yay!**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed this story. It motivates me to continue writing!**


	3. Optional Chapter

**This is an extra chapter. This chapter has a lot of spoilers since its focus is on Isshin. Posting this one was a real dilemma for me. I wasn't sure if I wanted to share the true plans of Urahara or not. But, I think it's okay since Ichigo and co. will still have no clue about their true enemies.**

 **With that said, I would love to hear feedback. Do chapters like this kill suspense/plot twists? Or does it not matter since most of us (?) have read the entire series?**

* * *

"Ah, Shiba-dono. Come to check in on your son?"

Isshin smiled at the burly man standing in the doorway of Urahara Shoten. "Tessai-san. How many times do I have to tell you to call me 'Isshin?' I'm practically an exile from the Shiba clan," Isshin stepped into the shop as Tessai stepped to the side to lead him inside.

"You know that's not true, Shiba-dono. The clan would never strip you of your title."

Isshin smiled good-naturedly at Tessai before the latter opened the latch leading to the basement of Urahara Shoten. Isshin couldn't help but marvel at the training grounds every time he entered it. Given the resources of an exile, it was truly impressive what the genius Urahara Kisuke was capable of. Isshin smirked. _I guess that's why he's called a genius._

Isshin watched Kisuke attack Ichigo with ferocity and tenacity that he wouldn't have expected him to use on a novice. "He truly is merciless, isn't he?" Isshin commented to Tessai, who had returned from upstairs with a cup of tea for Isshin.

"Would you have it any other way, Shiba-dono?" He handed the cup to Isshin who accepted it graciously.

Isshin laughed aloud. "No. The boy has been living with me for all these years. Pushing him a little bit won't kill him." His expression turned into a more grave and serious one. "Especially with what's coming." His gaze flitted over to Rukia, clad in Karakura's high school uniform. She was crossing her arms and chastising Ichigo from across the training grounds. Isshin watched as his son barked back at her before launching himself back into battle with Kisuke.

With a deep sigh, Isshin asked, "How are we on time?"

"The gigai that Kuchiki-dono is using is steadily sapping away her spiritual pressure. It is only a matter of time before the _Hogyoku_ can finally disappear forever before the traitor can get his hands on it."

Isshin nodded. He just wanted this entire affair to end. Every misfortune that happened in his life seemed to be orchestrated by _that man_. Though in some ways, they were blessings. Had it not been for Aizen sending that accursed hollow, he never would have met Masaki. Isshin detested Aizen's existence. The man played with people's lives, without a care in the world. Isshin looked up at the faux sky of the training ground. He began to recount the conversation that he had with Urahara after Masaki's death.

* * *

"Kurosaki-san. I'm sorry for your loss." Standing at the threshold of Kurosaki Clinic were Urahara Kisuke and Ishida Ryuuken.

Isshin regarded the pair with the same dead stare that he had worn ever since he lost Masaki. He replied hollowly with a broken smile that he could barely muster. "Thank you." Isshin was never sure what he was supposed to say to people who offered their condolences.

Since losing Masaki, Isshin felt nothing but numbness and confusion. Why didn't Masaki use her _blut_? A hollow of that level should have been easy for her to take care of. There shouldn't have been any danger. There shouldn't have been any problem.

And yet, she was dead.

Isshin couldn't understand or wrap his head around the concept. Still, he would try to remain strong, for the sake of his children.

As if Kisuke could read Isshin's mind, he spoke up, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. If you will lend me your ear, I believe I can provide you with answers from what I know."

Isshin looked at Kisuke fully, with a spark of life in his eyes. For the past week, he had thirsted for answers to explain his wife's death. He wanted to believe that by finding the answers, he could somehow fill the emptiness that her death had left behind. Wordlessly, Isshin led them into his home, inviting them to take a seat in the living room. The two visitors took his offer and sat upon the couch.

Taking it as a cue to continue, Kisuke cleared his throat. But, before he could speak, Ryuuken cut in, "Shiba, have you ever heard of the legend of The Sealed King?"

Isshin's eyes widened. "Are you telling me…"

Urahara nodded, "Unfortunately, yes, Kurosaki-san. It's true. _Auswahlen_ has been enacted," Urahara paused and looked at Ryuuken who had a solemn expression.

"Kanae has been affected too," Ryuuken's fists clenched. Isshin looked at Ryuuken, feeling empathetic toward the white-haired man. "Her illness—"

Isshin placed a hand on Ryuuken's shoulder, signaling that he needn't continue. He understood where he was going. He clenched his teeth and took in a shaky breath. "But… Masaki is—" Isshin swallowed deeply, "—was _echt._ Why would—"

Urahara shook his head. "Have you forgotten your first encounter with your wife?"

Isshin's blood chilled. "Then… that hollow… from that time?" Kisuke nodded somberly.

Isshin roared as he punched the wall, leaving a hole in the dry wall. He felt hot tears stream down his cheek. "That damn hollow…" Isshin could feel the rage boiling within his soul. He wanted to rip the ones responsible for his wife's death to shreds. That black hollow from all those years ago. The Sealed King bastard. He would burn them with the hellfire of his Engetsu. Isshin had never felt so frustrated at the loss of his Shinigami powers.

Kisuke placed a hand on Isshin's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-san. But that actually brings me to my other reason for coming here." Kisuke cleared his throat, "All those years ago, I hadn't actually told you everything I knew, or rather, I hadn't told you my suspicions, about that hollow."

Isshin leaned forward, fully attentive.

"I told you that I had seen hollowfication before, that the process was intended to strengthen Shinigami by pushing past the boundaries of souls," Urahara closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "But, I hadn't told you that there was a perpetrator behind these heinous experiments."

Isshin couldn't believe it. He clenched his fists, and he glanced towards Ryuuken, who was wearing a similar expression of anger and astonishment. Masaki was an important person to the both of them after all.

"That man's name is Aizen Sousuke. For nearly a century, he has been conducting these hollowfication experiments upon Shinigami against their will. When his crimes were brought to light, he framed me, resulting in my banishment from Soul Society. I believe that the hollow that attacked you and Masaki all those years ago was yet another one of his experiments."

Ryuuken stood up from his seat on the couch, facing Urahara. It seemed that this was Ryuuken's first time hearing this story. "And where is this Aizen now?"

With a tired expression, Urahara looked up at Ryuuken, "In Soul Society. After all, he is the 5th squad captain of the Gotei 13."

Isshin could feel his mind reeling with this information. _Aizen was a traitor? And for a century?_ He had never roused or created suspicion. He couldn't believe it. "Why are you telling us this now?" Isshin asked Urahara directly.

"Because I think your son is his next target."

If Isshin were still a Shinigami, the room would probably have burst into flames. " _Explain._ " Isshin commanded Urahara with a menacing tone.

Urahara took a deep breath. "When your children were born, it was easy to determine what type of souls your twin daughters were. However, your son's soul is… complicated. By all accounts, your son's soul composition shouldn't exist. My fear is that your son may be exactly what Aizen has been hoping to achieve for the past century: a soul that has succeeded in breaking the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow." Urahara shook his head, "But, at the same time, his soul is completely contradictory to expectation. At this point in time, I cannot comprehend it."

The two men listening to Urahara shifted slightly, trying to absorb the words.

"With Masaki's passing, the tether between your souls has been broken. A portion of your Shinigami powers should theoretically be returning to you. However, at the same time, the hollow's influence that had possessed her, which I suspect now inhabits your son, will begin to awaken. And I'm afraid that if Aizen hasn't discovered your son's existence already, he definitely will now. And if Aizen achieves his goal, the balance of souls will be changed, resulting in calamity."

The tension within the room thickened. Ryuuken was the one to speak up first, "Then, what do we do?"

Isshin clicked his tongue. "We stop him."

Ryuuken shot an irritated look, " _How_ , Shiba?"

"Not to worry, gentlemen. I have had nearly a century to give this some thought after all," Urahara wasn't smirking, but his voice betrayed a hint of smugness, so he might as well have been. "Kurosaki-san, I'm sure you remember the _hogyoku_ I used in order to stabilize your wife and tether your souls. Aizen has been using his own _hogyoku_ to conduct these experiments. However, Aizen's hollowfication process has been unsuccessful because his _hogyoku_ is incomplete."

Isshin folded his arms together. He was beginning to follow where Urahara was going. "So, as long as his _hogyoku_ is incomplete, Aizen can be stopped."

Urahara grinned, "Precisely. Aizen has been seeking my _hogyoku_ for decades. But, it is in a dormant state, and at Aizen's current state, it cannot be used or found. Which is why, I am developing a method to destroy it, once and for all."

Isshin nodded. "How long will it take?"

Urahara heaved a sigh, "Several years. I will also need to find a suitable soul to insert the _hogyoku_."

Ryuuken's brows furrowed, "Your brilliant plan is contingent upon finding a soul to insert this abominable stone?"

"Now, now, Ishida-san, I would think you would know me better than that. Until Aizen can complete his _hogyoku_ , he cannot strengthen himself beyond the limits of a Shinigami, now can he?" Urahara paused, flitting his gaze between the two men. "Which is why, I believe, Kurosaki-san, your son is our ace."

" _What_?" Isshin bellowed. "Ichigo is a 9-year-old _child_. You can't expect him to go up against someone like Aizen!"

"Of course, not _now_ , Kurosaki-san. If my theory proves true, your son, the boundary breaker, is the _only one_ who could stand against Aizen! We could develop his abilities—"

"Absolutely not! How could you even suggest such a thing? Just _look_ at what has happened at his first exposure to Hollows! My wife is _dead_! And you want to _develop_ that—"

"Would you rather he fall into Aizen's hands?" Urahara shot back calmly, leaving Isshin tongue-tied.

A picture frame caught Isshin's eye. He picked it up and held it in his hands. It was Ichigo, grinning ear to ear from the first day of his karate class. Such an innocent and blissful expression. Isshin never wanted such a destiny for his son. While he wished that he could've had his Shinigami powers to protect Masaki, he also wished that he had never had them to begin with. He wished that this world didn't have Hollows, Shinigami, or Quincy. He just wanted his children to live uncomplicated, human lives.

But, that wasn't their fate.

Isshin heaved a deep sigh, steadying himself and restraining tears. "Fine. When his powers awaken, I'll leave it to you, Urahara-san."

* * *

Isshin watched the pair bicker with each other. The way they got under each other's skin made Isshin wish even more for a different fate for the two of them. When Urahara had told him that Rukia was the suitable soul to destroy the _hogyoku_ , he was elated. But then Urahara had explained that Rukia would slowly turn into a human, saving the realms at the cost of Rukia's powers.

It made Isshin sick to think about it. Isshin had lost his powers for Masaki's sake all those years ago, but he had done it by choice. Forcing this fate upon another person felt wrong and awful. But, it was for the greater good. He hoped that Rukia would understand.

He heaved a deep sigh. He could only _hope_ that things would turn out as planned.

He would atone for the way he treated them when it was all over.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed reading this extra chapter! See you for the next one!**


	4. Chapter 3

Yuzu hummed a tune happily to herself. School had just been let out. She was used to walking back home on her own since her twin normally had soccer club activities. "Karin-chan said she wanted yakisoba for dinner tonight, so I better go to the grocery store."

Yuzu skipped along the sidewalk, swinging her schoolbag cheerfully as she went. "So strange. Karin-chan normally asks for her favorite, nikujaga." Yuzu's hop in her step faltered slightly. "Karin-chan hasn't asked for it since the night that car crashed into the house."

A strange flash of Karin's panicked face came across Yuzu's mind. Yuzu gulped and tried to return the skip in her step. _Why did I think of Karin-chan panicked? We were both asleep by the time that car crashed into the house._

Another strange flash appeared again. Yuzu was tripping while running up the stairs. _Hmm? I haven't tripped on the stairs in so long._

The final image that flashed before her eyes was Ichigo screaming with his hands behind his back and a black figure standing next to him. Yuzu held a hand up to her forehead. _Why am I thinking of these things?_

Yuzu shook her head. She had arrived at her destination: the grocery store. Yuzu tried to push the thoughts out of her head and focus on getting fresh ingredients for tonight's dinner.

Unfortunately, Yuzu couldn't help herself. Her mind started to wander. Ever since that night, Karin-chan seemed to be so on edge and distant. Her brother would take a lot of naps in the middle of the day. And her father seemed to be going on his nightly excursions more and more often. Even Yuzu was feeling strange. Whenever she recalled that night, her mind would dredge up images that didn't make any sense. _I wonder…_

"Ah! Yuzu-chan!" A voice cut off Yuzu's thoughts.

Yuzu turned at the sound of her name. She smiled when she recognized the person immediately. "Hello, Orihime-san! How are you today?"

Orihime giggled, "I'm doing well. Just doing some grocery shopping for dinner!"

Yuzu smiled, "Me too, actually!" Yuzu held out her basket. "Karin-chan asked me to make yakisoba." Yuzu looked down at Orihime's basket. Onions, butter, bananas, and gelatin. Yuzu looked at it with fascination. _I wonder what she's going to make._

"Wow! Sounds delicious!" Orihime smiled. "I'm about ready to pay. I'll walk with you until you finish!"

"Oh, actually, I'm almost done too. I just need to buy a couple onions."

"They're on sale! Come on!" Orihime led Yuzu over to the produce aisle.

Yuzu smiled happily, pushing all her thoughts of that strange night to the back of her mind. "Thank you, Orihime-san!" The two of them walked side by side. "How is high school?" Yuzu asked, creating small talk.

"It's great! Your brother is always so interesting."

Yuzu looked at Orihime with an inquisitive look on her face. "Interesting? What do you mean?" She started grabbing different onions, trying to pick a suitable one.

"He's been late to class a lot lately," Orihime put a finger to her chin in thought. "He asks to use the restroom a lot, and it seems that Kuchiki-san needs to take him to the nurse a lot too."

Yuzu turned to Orihime. "Kuchiki-san?"

"Oh, you haven't met her? She just moved here recently. She and Kurosaki-kun are together a lot," Orihime looked down at the ground. "There's a rumor going around that they're dating." Orihime smiled at Yuzu, erasing the sad expression she had earlier. "But, if Yuzu-chan hasn't heard of her, I guess it's just a rumor!"

"Yeah…" Yuzu agreed in a soft voice.

Orihime noticed the troubled look on Yuzu's face. "You've picked one, right, Yuzu-chan? Come on, let's go pay so we can get started on cooking!"

* * *

After the two paid for their groceries and started walking toward the residential area of Karakura, the topic of conversation had shifted over to plans for the weekend. "I'm inviting Tatsuki-chan over tonight actually! We're planning to eat dinner and then watch 'Ghost Bust!'"

Yuzu got a starry look in her eyes. "I love 'Ghost Bust!'" A glint appeared in Yuzu's eyes. "Spirits are…"

"… always with you!"

"Bo-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Yuzu and Orihime performed the signature tagline of Don Kanonji's show together. The two of them giggled.

"I wouldn't have expected Tatsuki-san to be a fan of 'Ghost Bust.'"

Orihime giggled, "She's not. She just comes over to my apartment so that I won't be lonely watching it."

Yuzu's expression fell. "That's nice of her," she said with a gentle smile. "The only one who watches it with me is my dad, but he's away tonight. Karin-chan and Onii-chan don't really like the show."

Orihime offered a half smile. "If you'd like, you're welcome to come over tonight too! Whenever you finish with dinner!"

Yuzu was taken aback. She hadn't expected Orihime to make such an offer. "Really? Thank you, Orihime-san!" Yuzu thought to herself. Lately, Ichigo had been coming back late for dinner, and Karin-chan seemed to take a while with soccer club practice too. "I'll pack some yakisoba and bring it over once I finish cooking, then!"

Orihime smiled cheerfully, "I can't wait!"

The two of them resumed their walk, discussing their admiration for Don Kanonji and his ability to see and fight spirits. They stopped at the crosswalk and waited for the walk signal to appear. When it did, Orihime took a few steps ahead of Yuzu to give herself some more room to do her impression of Tatsuki. "And then she kicked like thi—"

A car sped down the street, screeching as it made its approach towards Yuzu and Orihime. There was a parked car blocking Yuzu, so she would be safe. But, Orihime was further out in the street. "Orihime-san!" Yuzu shouted, dropping her bag of groceries and reaching a hand toward her, desperately hoping that she could grab a hold of Orihime and pull her back.

"Look out!" A shout rang out. Orihime was suddenly colliding with Yuzu, knocking the both of them to the ground.

There was a strange presence that Yuzu sensed, and it made her blood chill. Something about that presence reminded Yuzu of the strange flashes that she had been getting.

"I'm so sorry, Yuzu-chan!" Orihime exclaimed, scrambling to her feet. She started grabbing Yuzu's dropped groceries and school bag. She extended her hand to Yuzu, offering to help her stand up too. "Are you okay, Yuzu-chan?"

Yuzu nodded slowly, taking Orihime's hand. She reassured Orihime that she was fine, and poor Orihime apologized to her repeatedly. The car hadn't stopped. It had just driven away. "I'm glad you're okay, Yuzu-chan," Orihime said, passing the bag of groceries and school bag back to Yuzu.

Despite Yuzu's claim that she was fine, she actually felt like she was going to be sick.

Because she could have sworn that she saw a black hand grab Orihime's leg.

And the shout of "Look out!" wasn't from Orihime or Yuzu.

* * *

After cooking the yakisoba, Yuzu placed the food in the refrigerator. She gathered her own small container of it, left a note for her siblings about where she would be, and then departed for Orihime's apartment.

Yuzu made the short walk over to the apartment complex in just 15 minutes. "Inoue…" Yuzu whispered to herself as she searched for Orihime's apartment number and the button to buzz her in. Just as she found the number, another resident was leaving the building. She thanked him as he held the door open for her, and Yuzu made her way over to the stairs.

Yuzu did her best to put the disturbing flashbacks and what she thought she sensed at the crosswalk earlier that day in the back of her mind. Tonight would be a fun get-together with Orihime and Tatsuki. They could both enjoy an evening of eating dinner and watching a TV show about the excitement of exorcising spirits.

Yuzu knocked on Orihime's apartment door. "Orihime-san! I'm here! Sorry, I'm a little late."

She waited outside the door for a minute. "Hm?" Yuzu knocked on the door again. "Orihime-san? Tatsuki-san? Are you in there?"

At that moment, Yuzu heard a thud against the door and a loud crash from within the apartment. Yuzu gasped when she thought she heard a struggled cry from Tatsuki. "Orihime-san! Tatsuki-san!" Yuzu started pounding at the door now. She tried to open the door, but it was locked.

A much louder cry of pain came from inside now, and Yuzu started to feel desperate. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. _The police! I should call the police!_ Yuzu started to fish for her cellphone in her purse.

"Stay away! What is this thing? I can't see!" Tatsuki's shouts were audible through the door.

A horrible screech came from within, and Yuzu froze, her eyes wide. Suddenly, she wasn't standing in front of a closed apartment door. She was in her kitchen, staring down a distortion. She was running through her kitchen, up the stairs to desperately call for help from her brother.

The ringtone from Yuzu's cellphone broke her reverie. Yuzu shakily brought the phone to her ear. "Onii-chan…"

" _Yuzu! Are you okay!? You're at Inoue's place, right!?_ " Ichigo's voice sounded utterly panicked.

"Onii-chan…" Yuzu felt tears start to stream down her cheeks. She could hear the anguished cries of pain from Tatsuki and the crashes within the apartment. "Something is in the apartment," Yuzu sobbed, falling to her knees in front of the apartment door.

" _Don't worry, Yuzu! I'll be there soon!"_

Yuzu dropped the phone, sobbing and squeezing her fists. _I can't do anything… If it was Onii-chan or Karin-chan, they would just break down this door. But me… I…_

A flashback of Yuzu collapsing to the floor in front of her brother's room appeared behind her closed lids.

 _It's happening_ again _, and I can't do anything!_ Yuzu's tears fell freely from her eyes now. All the pent-up frustration and denial was released at once.

 _Be strong, Yuzu. Our strength lies not within brute force but in resourcefulness and willpower._

Yuzu's eyes shot open. She slowly stood up. Almost like she was having an out-of-body experience, she reached her hand toward the door knob again. But this time, she felt some guiding force pushing her hand to where the door met the frame, presumably where the deadbolt was holding the door shut. She closed her eyes and started to focus. Her hand started to feel warmer and warmer. Yuzu opened her eyes again when she felt the door give way.

Yuzu shoved the door open, barely noticing that the deadbolt appeared to be sliced cleanly in half.

* * *

"Orihime-san! Tatsuki-san!" Yuzu shouted, trying to locate her two friends.

"Yuzu-chan… Run away…" Tatsuki wheezed. She was floating in the air, grabbing at her neck.

 _No… not floating…_ Yuzu thought to herself as a hazy black image began to form. _What is that thing? It's like a giant snake…_ Yuzu gasped as the monster turned to look at her. _A white mask…_

"What is this intruder doing in our home, Orihime!?" Yuzu could hear the monster interrogating Orihime, who was trying to call out to Tatsuki.

Yuzu looked at the monster in confusion. _Our home…?_

"How dare you bring _another_ person here to the apartment that I worked so hard to pay for!?"

Orihime looked at the monster with a look of confusion. "That voice… Onii… chan…?" Orihime started to take a few steps toward the monster. "Is it really you, Onii-chan?"

"Orihime-san, don't!" Yuzu yelled out to Orihime. "Kya!" The monster's tail swiped at Yuzu, and she crashed into the wall. It knocked the wind out of her. The feeling was so familiar.

"Yuzu-chan!" This time, Orihime had called out to her and rushed to her side. Yuzu blinked, trying to focus her vision.

"Eh…? Two… Orihime-sans," Yuzu noted. One was laying on the ground, the other was kneeling at her side. Both had some kind of strange chain protruding from their chests that connected them.

The monster screeched, dropping Tatsuki to the ground, and Yuzu was on alert again. "Orihime-san!" Yuzu mustered up all her strength and shoved Orihime out of the way as the monster made a grab for her. Yuzu found herself in the clutches of the black and red serpent. Even though she felt like it was squeezing the life out of her, she could see the image of it becoming more and more lucid. The monster slammed her into the ground, and her back throbbed from the impact. For some reason, she could feel her left hand burning again and a deep voice calling out to her in the back of her mind.

"Yuzu!" A slash of a katana caused a spray of blood to appear before Yuzu's eyes. Before she lost consciousness, she thought she saw her brother wearing black robes.

* * *

 **Hopefully, this chapter was more exciting since it's a bit different from canon. And perhaps gives you a preview of the kind of significant roles that the Kurosaki family could have played, given their lineage.**

 **Feedback is would be very much appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 4

Ichigo returned home with an exhausted sigh. "Damn hollows… And Urahara's damn training… Rukia's even worse…" Ichigo muttered to himself as he made his way to the kitchen. His stomach had been growling for the past few hours, so he was ready for dinner. "I'm home!" Ichigo called out to what he didn't know was an empty house.

"Hm?" He looked down at a note on the kitchen table.

 _I'll be watching Ghost Bust at Orihime-san's house with her and Tatsuki-san. I'll be home around 10. Dinner is in the refrigerator._

"Orihime…?" Ichigo said aloud to himself. "Ah, Inoue." He recalled Karakura High's idol. Keigo never shut up about her. Ichigo knew who she was; he just wasn't used to hearing her first name. He and Tatsuki used to hang out a lot. And since Karakura was such a small town, she and Inoue had gotten to know Ichigo's sisters along the way.

Ichigo shrugged and grabbed the container of yakisoba from the refrigerator. It seemed to be untouched. _I guess Karin and Oyaji haven't come home yet._ The food was still warm despite being in the refrigerator. _Yuzu must have just left._

Ichigo sat at the table, wolfing down the deliciousness that was Yuzu's cooking. On his second mouthful, he heard a ringtone upstairs. "Huh?" Ichigo started looking around in confusion. "What the hell is—"

"Ichigo!" Rukia was barreling down the stairs, red glove donned.

"Wha? Rukia? Why are you in my house!?"

"No time for that! Work!" Rukia shouted at him, ramming her hand into his chin.

As soon as Ichigo was in Shinigami form, he got a serious look. He unsheathed his sword as a giant serpent hollow slithered down the steps. It knocked over several vases and picture frames on the way.

"Hey! Stop breaking our shit!" Ichigo shouted, brandishing his sword. He leapt into the air and swung his sword down upon the hollow's mask.

"Too shallow," Rukia muttered quietly to herself as only part of the hollow's mask shattered.

The hollow screeched in pain and then escaped into a black portal.

"Come on! We need to go after it!" Rukia called out to Ichigo, running past him toward the front door.

"What the hell, Rukia." Ichigo's tone was dark. "That hollow…"

Rukia turned on him. She had a feeling she knew where he was going with this.

"Behind that hollow's mask… I know that face… That was Inoue Sora. Orihime's brother."

Rukia sighed deeply. "And that's why it's important to remember the fundamental rules of slaying hollows: 1. Attack the hollow from behind. 2. Swing your zanpakutou with all your might upon its mask."

Ichigo put away his sword, eying Rukia.

"The first rule is to avoid injury. The second is to avoid discovering the true identity of the hollow."

"What… did you just say?" Ichigo's eyes widened.

"Yeah," Rukia looked at Ichigo with a serious look. "All hollows are the fallen souls of humans." Rukia crossed her arms as she regarded Ichigo. "Don't be mistaken. Right now, he is a monster and must be stopped," she uncrossed her arms and steeled her expression. "Especially since he's wounded. He's going to search for a soul to consume so that he can recover."

Ichigo grit his teeth. "Well, where are we supposed to go find him?"

Rukia sighed and closed her eyes in thought, "Hollows typically go after souls with high spiritual power, like Shinigami or gifted humans like you," Rukia's eyes shot open suddenly.

"What is it?"

"You said he had a younger sister?"

Ichigo's blood ran cold as his stomach started doing flips at what Rukia might say next. "Yeah. She's in our class."

"She's in danger. Hollows have a tendency to attack family members."

Without a word, Ichigo had run out the door at a speed that even Rukia could barely keep up with.

 _Yuzu!_

* * *

Ichigo could hear the blood pounding in his ears as he stormed out the door. All he could think about was the danger that his baby sister could be in. He could barely form a coherent thought. Ichigo could feel the phantom of rain upon his body, dripping upon the pools of blood at a riverbank. In the back of his mind, he wondered what kind of sick bastard would attack family. But, that thought was overshadowed by Ichigo's rage and fear for Yuzu.

Ichigo grit his teeth, fishing for his cellphone from his robes. The phone rang twice.

" _Onii-chan…"_

Ichigo's stomach dropped at the tone of helplessness and fear in his sister's voice.

"Yuzu! Are you okay!? You're at Inoue's place, right!?" Ichigo was doing his best to stop himself from screaming.

" _Onii-chan…_ " Ichigo heard Yuzu choking back sobs, and Ichigo felt the fear and rage within him building. " _Something is in the apartment…_ "

Ichigo almost crushed the phone in his hand. He took a deep breath through his nose, trying to calm himself down so that he could reassure his terrified little sister. "Don't worry, Yuzu! I'll be there soon!" He flipped the phone shut. There was no need to reel in his emotions now.

He let out a scream of profanity.

"Ichigo! What's wrong!?" Rukia called out to him. In his state of mind, Ichigo had barely registered that she had climbed onto his back and that he was now leaping across rooftops.

In a moment of clarity that Ichigo didn't know he could muster, he answered Rukia, "Yuzu! She's at that apartment with Orihime and her…" Ichigo clenched his teeth. _No, he's not Orihime's brother anymore. He's a hollow._

Ichigo felt something sinister within him, coiling and writhing deep within his spirit.

 _And I'm going to kill him._

* * *

When they were one more leap away from the building, Rukia jumped down from Ichigo's back and landed in front of him. "Ichigo, you need to calm down."

"Get out of my way, Rukia. That thing is hurting Yuzu." Ichigo commanded her in a menacing tone.

Rukia steeled her resolve despite the chill that ran up her spine. "I know. But, you can't let your anger blind you. You need to remember your training from Urahara."

 _"Kya!"_

"Yuzu!" Ichigo shoved Rukia out of the way, leaping across the rooftop. From the neighbor's roof, he could see into the windows of the apartment building. His eyes frantically searched for the one that his sister was in.

What he saw caused Ichigo's blood to boil with rage.

The serpent was holding his sister within its grasp.

What he saw next made his blood freeze with hatred.

And Ichigo leapt into the apartment, breaking the glass of the sliding doors in the process. With a mighty swing of his sword and a cry of Yuzu's name, Ichigo sliced the hollow's arm. The blood sprayed and the hollow lifted its hand off of Yuzu.

The hollow shrieked in pain, holding its gushing wound with its other hand.

Ichigo took a step, ensuring that his body acted as a barricade between the monster and his sister. " _Hey._ " Ichigo called out to the monster with the menacing tone he had earlier. "I know you're some twisted screw up of a brother that goes after your little sister." Ichigo gestured to the unconscious body and spirit form of Orihime in the corner.

" _But don't fucking touch mine._ " Ichigo growled, pointing the tip of his zanpakutou at the hollow's mask.

The hollow tossed its head back, laughing mockingly at Ichigo's words. Ichigo's eyes narrowed at him. "You wouldn't understand," the hollow hissed at Ichigo. "I have been Orihime's guardian, ever since our parents died. I fed her, bathed her, sheltered her, and clothed her! I can do whatever I please with her because _I own her_."

Ichigo glared at the hollow.

"I will apologize to you, though," the hollow regarded Ichigo in a way that caused confusion to temporarily break through his rage. "That girl," the hollow gestured toward Yuzu's unconscious body behind him. The hollow grinned sinisterly, "After all, she's your property to do with as you please," Ichigo felt his rage return, " _isn't she!?"_ The hollow swiped its tail at Ichigo, causing Ichigo to crash out of the wall.

Ichigo suspended himself in mid-air. His anger was causing his vision to tunnel around his single target. His rage was consuming his mind with a singular thought. _Kill him._

Unfortunately, when anger and rage consume Ichigo, he fails to see anything except his target. So, he was completely blindsided when the hollow's tail slammed into his body from above, causing Ichigo to crash into the pavement below.

"Ichigo!" Rukia had to take the fire escape from the rooftop and had only just arrived to the scene. "Ichigo! Get up!" Rukia shouted at Ichigo as the dust cloud cleared.

Ichigo groaned in pain. It seemed to be clearing his head enough for him to find some clarity. "Shut up…"

Rukia puffed her cheeks in indignation. "How dare you speak to me like that? And you're the one who didn't listen to me! I told you to calm down and remember your training!"

Ichigo huffed, stabbing his blade into the ground and using it as leverage to pull himself up. "Whatever. I just have to kill him."

But, Rukia could see the change in Ichigo. The rage within him had been reeled in and turned into determination. She smirked to herself. _He acts tough, but he recognizes the situation._

The serpent slithered out of the room, mouth open as though it intended to unhinge its jaw to swallow Ichigo whole. Very serpentine indeed. Ichigo readied his zanpakutou, blocking the attack effectively. A battle cry erupted from his throat as he slashed his sword, redirecting the hollow's weight and momentum to the side.

The hollow regained its balance, steadying itself and preparing to launch another attack. Ichigo too took up a battle stance. _Come!_

And the hollow lunged forward, jaw unhinged again.

Both of them were caught off guard by the appearance of Orihime. Ichigo lowered his zanpakutou. "Inoue…"

"Ori… hime…" the hollow struggled to say her name.

"I'm sorry, Onii-chan. I didn't know that you were so lonely for all these years. When I prayed to you about Tatsuki-chan and the person I like," Orihime glanced at Ichigo, "I didn't think of your feelings and how you might have felt. I wanted to show you that I was happy, and that you didn't have to worry. I'm…" Orihime's eyes rolled into the back of her head, "… sorry." She collapsed to the ground, blood flowing from the shoulder wound.

"Orihime…!" Sora's face began to show through the white mask. He let out a cry of pain, not the characteristic screech of a hollow, but a human wail. He started tearing at the mask on his face, slamming his head into the pavement. Ichigo and Rukia looked on with concern. Finally, the mask shattered into tiny white specks, and Sora's face was shown once again.

Rukia knelt at Orihime's side, "I'm going to try to treat her. Her chain of fate is still intact. I should be able to do something with kidou." A faint white glow of reiatsu began to form in Rukia's hand.

Ichigo saw the way Sora looked upon Orihime with concern. Ichigo sighed and closed his eyes. He was no longer an enemy. "You know, those hairpins…" Sora's focus shifted over to Ichigo. "They're a gift from you, aren't they? That's why she wears them every day."

Sora's expression became one of guilt. "I… have done something unforgivable." He whispered. He took hold of Ichigo's zanpakutou and poised it at his throat.

Ichigo became alarmed and took a firmer hold of his zanpakutou, "Hey…! What are you—"

"He's making the right choice, Ichigo. Hollows cannot return to their original form. Inevitably, he will lose control again and attack us unless you slay him."

Ichigo looked downcast. Rukia sighed. Wasn't this impetuous boy about to murder Sora only 2 minutes ago? "Don't worry. Slaying a hollow does not mean killing it. You will cleanse him of his sins, allowing him to pass on to Soul Society." Rukia offered a reassuring smile to both of them.

Sora nodded as Ichigo released his hold on the zanpakutou.

"Wait."

All three of them looked down at Orihime who had regained consciousness.

"I've always regretted this… On the day you died, we had a fight and I didn't get to say it then. But, I want to say it now." Orihime choked back a sob. She smiled gently at her brother, " _Itterasshai_ , _Onii-chan."_

Sora smiled back at her with a tender look in his eyes. " _Aa_. _Ittekuru._ " The zanpakutou pierced him, and he faded away into white particles of reishi.

Orihime sobbed, crying into Rukia's shoulder. Ichigo, now that affairs down here were over, leapt back into the apartment to find Yuzu. He found her unconscious and scooped her into his arms. He would take the stairs down; he didn't want to put any strain on her body by leaping down to Rukia. He'd come back up again for Tatsuki.

Rukia finished healing all three of them, and she stretched out her limbs. She retrieved the memory replacement tool from her pocket. The cloud of smoke erupted in front of Orihime, rendering her unconscious, and the already unconscious Tatsuki. Rukia reached Yuzu and clicked her tongue.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, confused why Rukia wasn't using it on Yuzu.

"I'm concerned about using this on your little sister."

"Hm? Why?"

"Her spiritual awareness has increased. It's possible that she saw things tonight with enough clarity that it won't be very effective. Using the memory replacement tool is iffy as it is on someone with higher reiryoku. Using it for the second time would be even more questionable," Rukia sighed. "Well, let's just hope for the best." Rukia used the device on Yuzu, hoping that it would be capable of replacing her memories.

Ichigo thought for a moment. _Enough clarity… Then, that means someone who can see spirits "high-spec" wouldn't be all that affected._ Ichigo's thoughts traveled to his other little sister who could probably see spirits as well as he could. Ichigo ruffled his hair with his hand. _That could be problematic._

* * *

 **Another chapter! Hope you all enjoyed~ See you next week!**


	6. Chapter 5

Karin Kurosaki was becoming frustrated with the way things were turning out. Ever since the night of the "car crash," Karin started to become aware of the different secrets that her household was keeping from her. The only one who wasn't keeping such secrets seemed to be Yuzu. And yes, Karin was very much including herself when she said the household was keeping secrets. And she resented herself almost as much as she resented her father and brother.

Truth be told, that "memory replacement" didn't do anything to Karin. The morning after, she had woken up with a start. Her head was buzzing. The two conflicting memories made it feel like her head would split open. But, Karin could tell the difference between reality and the fake reality. The "car crash" was hazy and felt artificial. The attack by that monster, the sandal-hat man, and the mysterious black-haired girl were crystal clear in her mind.

But, when she woke up the next morning and asked Yuzu if she was okay, she saw Yuzu calmly cooking breakfast as if there was nothing out of the ordinary, talking about the car crash as if that was the _real_ reality. And Karin wasn't willing to thrust her twin into the horrible truth of monsters, mysterious strangers, and ghosts. If keeping Yuzu in the dark allowed her twin to stay the same-old Yuzu, cheerful and innocent, Karin was willing to play along. It was selfish of her, keeping a secret from her literal other half, and it felt wrong. And she hated lying to Yuzu. But, she would do it. For Yuzu's sake.

Despite her resolve, she couldn't help but feel frustrated with her older brother and father. They were trying to keep Karin in the dark too. They would always speak in hushed tones with each other. There were times that she wanted to burst in on their "secret conversations." But, she knew better. If they wanted to keep their secrets, fine. She could keep secrets from them too.

With that thought, Karin dropped the soccer ball on the field. She wound up her leg and kicked the ball. It glowed blue and tore a hole through the net.

"Hmph." She smirked and then pulled her hat tighter over her head before she went to go retrieve her ball.

* * *

Karin had discovered her ability to create energy infused soccer balls by accident. Shortly after the attack, she went to the soccer field hoping it would clear her head but ended up doing exactly the opposite. Her frustrations that had built up ever since that night had been channeled into her kicks.

Some monster terrorized her family and the best she could do was throw knives and silverware at it. Kick.

That stupid voice in the back of her head. Kick! The mysterious black-haired girl that stabbed her brother. _Kick!_ Sandal-hat and her father showing up out of nowhere, almost as if they were _waiting_ for the "opportune" moment to come. **Kick!**

They had all almost _died_ and yet Ichigo and the old man were acting like _nothing happened. **Kick!**_

Her final kick of that night, she put in all of her focus and anger into it. She gasped when she saw the ball illuminate with bright blue light. It ripped through the net before rolling a few feet past it.

At the time, Karin looked down at her foot, in complete disbelief at what she had done. After that, she let out a whoop that she didn't really understand. It felt good. Insanely good to do that. And from then on, Karin would linger after soccer practice, experimenting and testing out her abilities.

She tested how many balls she could kick like that in one day. She tested how much energy she could put into the ball. She even tested how much distance the ball could cover.

Today, she wanted to test how well she could control it. She removed the net from the post and replaced it with a large drape-like fabric. The first time she kicked, the ball was wrapped in a jagged blue light, almost like a flame. It ripped through the fabric slowly, causing the threads to stretch before they ripped, causing a rather messy looking hole. The last ball she kicked had much cleaner edges surrounding it, almost like the ball was encased in another ball, and it ripped through the fabric quickly and cleanly.

Karin smirked to herself. Seemed like a good time to call it a day.

* * *

Karin returned home to an empty house. Some vases and picture frames had been knocked over. "What the? Was there an earthquake or something?" Karin wondered quietly to herself. She shrugged it off, cleaning up the mess. Small messes were easy enough to handle. Shouldn't put all the housework on Yuzu after all. She took off her shoes and put her stuff upstairs in the room she shared with Yuzu. Karin narrowed her eyes.

 _Something about upstairs… feels weird._ She tried to shake off the weird feeling and changed into some loungewear. She went into the kitchen and saw Yuzu's note on the table.

"Oh. Yuzu's hanging out with Tatsuki and Orihime, huh?" Karin shrugged. She didn't want to watch that stupid Ghost Bust show. She heard enough about it from her classmates already. She went to the refrigerator and retrieved some yakisoba.

After she had warmed up her plate and took a seat at the table, she noticed a half-eaten plate left forgotten on the table. Slowly, the cogs in Karin's mind started turning. _The knocked over vase… the weird feeling from upstairs… a half-eaten plate of food._ Karin hoped it wasn't what she thought it was. _Again? Could it have been another attack?_ Panic began to set in. Karin pushed herself up from her seat abruptly, nearly knocking over the chair.

The front door opened at that moment. Karin turned and stared. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Ichi-nii… Oyaji…" Karin's eyes widened when she saw Yuzu on Ichigo's back. Then, there was a feeling of dread when she saw the same black-haired girl from that night walking next to her father. Karin tried to calm herself down. She had to play it cool. They didn't know that she knew more than she let on. "What happened to Yuzu? And who is that behind you?"

"Yuzu…" Ichigo trailed off.

"… fell asleep at Orihime-chan's apartment!" Isshin's voice cut in. He grinned at Karin, "We went to go pick her up."

Karin swallowed the string of curses she wanted to hurl at them. Karin could sense that Yuzu's life was, once again, put in danger. And they were acting like nothing happened. Again. "I… see." _You liars._ Karin's eyes shifted over to the black-haired girl, "And her?"

"Oh! How rude of me! My name is Kuchiki Rukia! I will be troubling you for a while!" The strange girl curtsied, causing Karin's upper lip to curl in disgust.

 _Just who do they think they're fooling? She's obviously not human._

"Rukia-chan's home life is a little complicated, so she's going to be staying in Ichigo's closet for the time being," Isshin explained.

Karin raised an eyebrow at this. _A little complicated. As if_ our _home life isn't complicated._

Karin tried her best to make her smile look genuine. "Nice to meet you, Kuchiki-san."

"Oh! Feel free to call me by my name. Is it all right if I call you 'Karin-chan?'"

Karin shrugged. "Sure."

"Well then, Karin-chan, I'll be in your care from now on. It's a school night, so we should get some sleep!"

Karin tried not to sneer. "Yeah. Good night, Rukia-san."

* * *

The next morning, Karin woke up and stretched her limbs. Her heart jumped to her throat when she saw Yuzu had woken up already too. She was staring intently at Karin. Karin placed a hand over her heart, taking deep breaths to calm down. "Yuzu… Anything wrong?"

Yuzu continued to stare at Karin. A few seconds later, she closed her eyes and said, "No. Not really." She slowly, almost robotically stood up and walked toward the door, already dressed for school. "I'll go make breakfast now."

Karin nodded slowly, "Oh… Okay, thanks, Yuzu."

"Karin-chan."

Karin looked up at Yuzu with a start.

Yuzu was holding onto the doorframe and looking down at the ground for a moment. "Do you know… what happened?" Yuzu asked slowly.

Karin searched Yuzu's face. She had a bad feeling, and she struggled to find the words to say. "Ichi-nii and Oyaji told me that you fell asleep at Orihime-san's apartment."

Karin saw the sad smile that appeared on her twin's face. "Mm. I see." And with that, Yuzu was out the door.

Karin fell back, her head hitting the pillows. She shut her eyes. " _What happened?" She's asking me?_ Her eyes opened slowly. _Maybe… she didn't mean last night._

By the time Karin finished getting ready for school, Yuzu had already finished cooking breakfast and taken her seat at the table. Her father was drinking coffee at the table, exuberantly making conversation with Rukia. Ichigo was trying to quietly eat his eggs. Karin sat down next to Yuzu and glanced at her twin. She was just silently eating her toast.

Karin took her chopsticks, placed her hands together, then started eating.

 _A little complicated…_

* * *

That evening, Karin started walking home after practice. Her "extra" practice could wait until another time. She folded her arms behind her head as she walked, thinking about her family and what the hell was going on.

Karin heard a loud noise as she rounded the corner leading to her family's home. Karin gasped when she saw what appeared to be an adult man clutching a bird cage. He was knocked to the ground. Karin felt on edge when she felt a presence similar to the one she felt on _that night_. She grit her teeth. The drivers involved appeared to be fine. They were exiting their cars, trying to check on the man they hit. Karin rushed over to them, shoving both drivers aside, "Out of the way!" she shouted rudely at them.

 _He's… one of Ichi-nii's friends!_ Karin knelt down on the ground. "Ossan! Can you hear me?"

The 15-year-old grunted and she saw lucidity in his eyes. Karin gaped at the blood that was already pooling on his back. He needed medical attention, quickly. Karin cursed. There was no way she would be able to carry him inside. _Ichi-nii should be back from school by now._ "Ichi-nii! Come outside! Hurry!"

Ichigo came out of the doors of the clinic quickly. He looked panicked. He was probably worried that _she_ was in trouble, judging by the look on his face. "Karin! What's wrong?" Ichigo came running out, and Karin gestured to his unconscious friend. "Chad!" Ichigo finally noticed his friend. The expression in Ichigo's face changed when he saw Chad's wounds. Ichigo looked at Karin, "I'll get him inside to get examined by Oyaji. You see if these drivers need any help."

Karin sighed and ushered the drivers into the clinic. They seemed fine for the most part. Chad was the one to worry about. _Especially with that unsettling wound…_ Karin narrowed her eyes. _And that parakeet._


	7. Chapter 6

Chad was brought to an examination table. All of the Kurosaki clan looked at the wound with a grim expression. "How awful…" Yuzu whispered softly.

"Yuzu. Karin. Get some bandages and antiseptic from the stock. _A lot of them._ "

Karin and Yuzu wordlessly left to retrieve what their father asked for.

Isshin heaved a sigh. "Why don't you start explaining, Sado-kun?"

Chad looked away from Isshin. "A car was speeding—"

"Bullshit, Chad!" Ichigo shouted at him. Fury and frustration were mixing together within Ichigo. He was furious because yet another important person to him was being attacked by hollows, and he was also frustrated that his friend wouldn't admit it. "What the hell happened to you!? That wound isn't one from a damn car cra—"

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault." Ichigo and Isshin shifted their attention to the parakeet. Ichigo wasn't taken by surprise, unlike when he first heard the bird speak on the school rooftop.

"Shiba—!" Chad was interrupted when Isshin put a hand in front of Chad's face, stopping him from talking.

Karin and Yuzu returned with the bandages and antiseptic. Isshin cleared his throat. "Ichigo. Why don't you take the parakeet upstairs? It'll be a better place to keep it than in a room with an injured person. His dander could cause complications."

Ichigo nodded wordlessly, taking the cage upstairs where he could interrogate it with Rukia.

"No!" Chad shouted, suddenly standing up. He tried to snatch the cage from Ichigo, but he collapsed to the ground.

Isshin shook his head. "You're not in the condition to be doing things like that, kid." Isshin said to Chad's unconscious body. He barked at his son, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up!"

"R-right…" Ichigo started to make for the door again, nodding to both Yuzu and Karin on the way. Both twins froze in place when they made eye contact with the parakeet.

* * *

Ichigo brought the parakeet up the stairs and into his room where Rukia was waiting with her arms folded. "All right. Let's get down to business." Rukia pulled her red glove on.

She pushed Ichigo's soul out of his body, and he emerged in his Shinigami form. Ichigo drew his zanpakutou.

"W-Wait! I'm not an evil spirit! Please! Let me explain!" The parakeet began to flap its wings frantically.

Rukia and Ichigo looked at each other. "Should we hear it out?" Ichigo asked her. She narrowed her eyes at him, and Ichigo shrugged. "You know, like a last words kind of thing."

The parakeet gasped. "P-please! Don't kill me! O-one more day! Please!" The parakeet begged.

Ichigo looked at Rukia. Based on the bird's mannerisms, it was probably just a kid. She sighed, exasperated. But, she changed her expression to one of compassion. "Fear not. We're not going to kill you. We will send you to Soul Society." Rukia stared into the imploring, beady eyes of the parakeet. She closed her eyes, "Okay, okay. But, you have to tell us where Chad got his injuries from."

The parakeet breathed a sigh of relief. "Oji-chan got hurt because an evil spirit has been chasing me for the past three months." The parakeet looked down at the floor of Ichigo's room. "That's why they call me the cursed parakeet. The evil spirit chases me around and hurts anyone that tries to help me. Including Shinigami."

Rukia folded her arms across her chest. "Soul Society has not received intel on a parakeet like this. I wonder if that means this hollow acts more like an assassin, eliminating Shinigami before they can report. It has been eluding us all this time," Rukia bit her thumb in thought. "Okay. You say that this hollow comes and attacks anyone who helps you?"

The parakeet nodded.

Rukia smirked deviously, "Then it's time for _us_ to lay a trap for _him._ "

"You're gonna use him as _bait_?" Ichigo asked incredulously.

Rukia snickered, "Good plan, huh? The hunter will now be the hunted."

In hindsight, it could have been a good plan, but Rukia did not account for one of the variables: the resilience of Sado Yasutora.

* * *

The next morning, Karin woke up with a start. _That dream… No, that nightmare… Was that the life of that parakeet…?_ Karin clutched at her head, holding in sobs that threatened to rack her body. She knew what it was like to lose a mother. She understood his desperation in making a deal with that monster. Karin could have just as easily made that deal.

Karin's attention was brought to Yuzu when she heard a sob come from beneath her blankets. "Yuzu…"

"Karin-chan," Yuzu whispered through sobs, "Can you take care of breakfast? I don't feel well."

Karin's eyes softened. "Yeah… Yuzu, don't worry about it." _I wonder if Yuzu saw the same nightmare._ Karin looked down at the ground. _If she did… it probably reminds her of Mom too much._ Karin definitely knew the feeling. Slowly, Karin got up and walked down the hallway.

As she walked past Ichigo's room, she looked at the door longingly. _I wonder if it would help if I talked to that parakeet._

A gasp fell from Karin's lips when she realized that she could sense Ichigo and Rukia within the room but not the parakeet. Karin threw the door open, startling Ichigo from his sleep and Rukia emerged from the closet. "Where's the parakeet!?" Karin shouted at them with urgency.

Ichigo cursed as he hurriedly got dressed. "Chad must have taken it in the middle of the night!"

Rukia rushed back into the closet, presumably to get dressed as well. She shouted from inside, "How the hell did that giant slip past us!?"

"Are you joking? You saw Chad sneak up behind Ooshima yesterday! The dude's a freaking cat when he wants to be stealthy!"

Karin sighed in frustration. She had neither the time nor the patience to deal with their bickering. She went to her room, retrieved a soccer ball, and hurried out the front door. _I'll find them. I won't let that damn evil spirit get away with hurting Yuuichi and his mom._

* * *

That said, Karin had no idea how to find them. She tried to think. Spirits always gave off a certain vibe… different from humans. Maybe she could try finding them that way? Pinpointing a single spirit's location in the entire Karakura town would be impossible. There had to be another way. Karin kept moving, but she tried to think to herself. Based on Karin's meeting Chad yesterday, she would guess that he's the simple type. He'd probably try to go to school, despite the danger.

And if that evil spirit is as predictable as she thinks it is, then it's possible that it would attack them on the way. Karin tried to open up her senses, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary as she ran along the route to Ichigo's school. Karin heard a crash in the distance. She could feel the sinister aura that those monsters give off. _There!_

"Ossan!" Karin shouted as she neared Chad and the parakeet.

"Ichigo's little sister…" Chad acknowledged her with an astonished expression. "You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous."

Karin glared at him. "Ossan, don't piss me off. You're the one who shouldn't have left your hospital bed!"

"Oji-chan, she's right. You should just leave me here and return to the clinic. Your wound is opening up again!"

"You know I can't do that, Shibata," Chad said in a hushed tone to the parakeet. He looked at Karin as if an idea came to him. He pushed the cage into her arms. "Take him. Run as fast as you can."

Karin gave him a look of disbelief, "And what the hell are _you_ gonna do, Ossan!?" Karin could sense the monster coming closer.

"Oji-chan! He's coming!"

"Don't worry. I'll hold it off." Chad gave them a thumbs-up signal as he turned around, running towards the screech.

"Ossan!" Karin shouted at him. "Damn it! Ichi-nii's friends are as dumb as he is!" Karin muttered to herself. She looked down at the parakeet with a sympathetic look. Yuuichi was watching Chad run toward the monster with a look of fear in his eyes. Karin sighed.

"Eh? What are you doing?"

Karin had placed the parakeet cage upon the wall. "Stay put, okay?"

"Ah! Onee-chan! You can't! That thing is too strong!"

Karin grabbed the soccer ball out of its sack and placed the sack on the wall next to Yuuichi. She took off in the direction that Chad had run to.

"Onee-chan! Onee-chan!" Yuuichi cried desperately.

* * *

Karin arrived at the place where she thought the sinister presence was. She felt a little out of breath after chasing Chad around and then chasing down this stupid monster. _Where the hell is it?_

"Hey, you smell kind of good."

Karin gasped and almost jumped out of her skin. The adrenaline rush allowed her to instinctively run just a little bit faster to get out of reach.

"Ooh! You're a fast one! I like chases," The monster snickered.

Karin growled at him. "Are you the one who's been terrorizing that kid?"

"Ah-hah! You can see and hear me! You just get better and better, don't you?" Damn thing was toying with her. "You smell like a human. But, you also smell like a Shinigami. Must be since you have a lot of spirit power." He grinned sinisterly, "You're unique. A _delicacy_."

Karin glared at the monster. She dropped the soccer ball in front of her. She kicked it square at the hollow, hitting it in the head. Karin grinned when the monster grunted.

"Heh. That kind of felt like a kidou spell." He narrowed his eyes. "Maybe a low level one though, because I barely felt it."

The ball had ricocheted off its mask and Karin moved to it again. "Well, there's more where that came from!" Karin shouted, putting more energy and focus into the kick this time. The monster grinned. "As if I'd get hit by the same attack twi—"

The monster had moved its head in an attempt to dodge the ball, but he didn't account for the spin, and instead it hit his mask again with much more force than the first ball.

Karin pulled the bottom of her eyelid down with her finger and stuck out her tongue. "Dumbass!" she called out to it in a mocking tone.

"Damn brat!" The hollow lunged for her. "Can't do anything without your damn ball!"

With a leap in the air, Karin kicked the monster in the mask, breaking a chunk off in the process.

"You really are a dumbass, aren't you?" Karin looked at him condescendingly. "Where do you think the power in my soccer ball comes from?" While the monster was laying on the ground, she gave his body a kick. She stomped on its mask, "Who's the delicacy _now_ , jerk!?"

The monster made a noise akin to a growl. He swiped at her, which Karin dodged by jumping. It took the opportunity to get to its feet. "Hah! As if a hollow like me would be beaten by a damn human brat like—"

"Hadou #33: Blue Fire Crash!" A blue ball of energy exploded upon the hollow's head.

Karin looked on with surprise. "Rukia-san!"

"Karin-chan, are you all right?" Rukia asked in a voice that was much less irritating than it was before.

The hollow's hand swiped at Rukia, and she dodged in the nick of time. Rukia entered a battle stance as she stared down the hollow. "A Shinigami spell, huh?" The hollow laughed, "But your attack is weaker than the little brat's kicks!"

Rukia looked at Karin in shock. "Karin, you—"

In the time that the hollow was distracted by Rukia, Karin had retrieved her ball and had kicked it at the hollow. This time he anticipated it, and he grabbed it out of the air and chucked it away from the street.

But, there was no denying it. Rukia saw the way the ball glowed with spirit power. The expression of shock remained on her face.

"Rukia-san, where's Ichi-nii?"

Karin watched Rukia's expression change. It was as if she had slowly realized something before she shook her head to reset and compose herself. "We ran into Yuzu-chan on the way here," Karin whirled on Rukia, fear in her expression. Rukia held her hand up in a reassuring gesture, "She told us about Yuuichi-kun. I told Ichigo to send her home." Rukia resumed her battle stance, "The two of us will have to buy some time until he gets here," She smirked at Karin, "I'll provide you some backup."

Karin grinned at Rukia. She much preferred this Rukia over the one she met at her home. "Oh, yeah! Let's do this!"

The battle was interrupted yet again, this time by a mighty punch from Chad.

"Did I… hit him?"

Karin's jaw dropped. "Ossan, you can see ghosts?"

Chad began punching the air repeatedly.

Rukia deadpanned, "… That's a no."

The hollow grunted and wiped the spot that it had been punched with its arm, "Lucky shot. You little—"

Chad managed to get another punch in.

"All right. That one hit him for sure."

The hollow leapt into the air and spread its wings. "Screw close combat! Can't get me like this, can you?" Rukia's and Karin's eyes followed him while Chad continued to punch the empty space in front of him.

"Chad! Stop punching the air! He's flying now!" Rukia shouted at Chad.

Chad paused and looked around. He started walking towards a telephone pole.

"Ossan, you can't seriously be doing what I think you're doing." Karin gave him an unimpressed, incredulous berating.

"Have you got a better idea?" Chad asked her.

Rukia smirked, "Actually…"

* * *

"Transfer student… This seems like a bad idea. I should just get the pole and smack him down." Chad said, holding Rukia in his arms.

"Don't worry. I can handle it," Rukia insisted, trying to focus.

"No, no, I have to agree, Rukia-nee."

Chad let out a breath of relief that Ichigo's little sister seemed rational.

"I should be the cannon ball," Karin continued.

It took a lot of effort for Chad not to fall over in disbelief.

Rukia looked at Karin, cogs turning in her head. "That's true… Between the two of us, it seems like your spiritual attacks are more effective." _But, in the end, she's a human. As a Shinigami, I couldn't allow a human to do something this dangerous. Even if she is Shiba-taichou's daughter._ _Plus, if she gets hurt, Ichigo will never let me hear the end of it…_

While Rukia was thinking to herself, Karin had taken advantage of the opening. "Great! Glad we understand each other." Karin pulled Rukia out of Chad's arms, ignored her protests, and readied herself into the cannon.

Before Rukia could pull Karin out of Chad's arms, Karin pointed at the direction of the hollow. "There, Ossan! Fire!"

And with that, Karin was launched into the air, her leg poised for a roundhouse kick. "What's up, dumbass!"

The hollow scoffed at Karin, "Not you!" A frog-like creature appeared on the hollow's shoulder.

Karin's eyes widened, not expecting something like tiny monsters springing from another monster. She brought her arms and legs up to shield herself. Leeches emerged from the creature and were squirted onto Karin's arms and legs.

"Karin-chan!" Rukia shouted.

Chad rushed over to catch the 11-year-old. Karin grunted when she landed. "What the hell are these things…? Leeches?" Karin gripped one of them and tried to rip it off.

Rukia had a bad feeling about this. She grabbed one leech attached to Karin's other arm and tried to rip it off too but to no avail. Realizing this, Rukia focused her spirit power into her hands, gripped the two leeches on Karin's legs, and tugged, successfully removing them. She chucked them away and reached for the others on her arms.

"Too late, dumbass!" The hollow threw Karin's insult back at her. Rukia and Karin looked up toward the hollow and saw him stick out his tongue. In total, there were 4 leeches left, 2 on each forearm. The sound waves coming from the hollow's tongue caused the leeches to detonate.

Karin let out a shout of pain as blood began to pour out from her arms.

"Karin-chan!" Rukia hurriedly used her kidou to heal the wounds.

The wounds closed up enough for Karin to speak, "Thanks… Rukia-nee. I think I'll be okay."

"Don't be a fool!" Rukia shouted at her. "You're just a human!" Rukia cursed quietly to herself. "I should have known better than to involve you in something that dangerous."

Karin staggered to her feet slowly. She laughed a little. It seemed Rukia wasn't even going to try to keep up the charade that she was human anymore. "Yeah, well, Ichi-nii and I are the same in that respect. Stubborn as hell. There's nothing anybody can do to keep us out of stupid and dangerous stunts like that." Rukia scoffed in response. She and her brother really were the same. "More importantly, Rukia-nee…"

Rukia looked up to see what Karin was staring at. Chad beat her to the words, though. "Shibata… why is his cage here?"

The parakeet looked downtrodden. "I'm sorry, Oji-chan. I got captured."

Rukia and Karin cursed under their breaths. The cage was covered in those frogs and leeches. Rukia and Karin both glared at the hollow. "Chad… don't move. That bird cage is covered in bombs." Rukia grit her teeth. Of course a hollow wouldn't fight fair.

"Now then!" The hollow addressed Rukia and Karin, since they were the only ones who could hear him, "We're going to play a little game… my favorite game: Cat and Mouse!" He grinned menacingly at them. "And the first mouse will be…" The hollow put his hand to his broken chin, where Karin had kicked him. "… you, _dumbass_." He glared at Karin when he said this.

Rukia's eyes widened and she took a step in front of the 11-year-old.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold your horses, Shinigami-chan! You'll get your turn." He narrowed his eyes. "Those who don't play by the rules… get punished," He gestured towards Yuuichi's cage covered in leeches. He stuck out his tongue to cement his threat.

Both Karin and Rukia clenched their teeth balled their fists in anger. Karin groaned as she tried to stand upright. "Karin-chan, no!" Rukia hissed to her, trying to get her to stop moving.

"Don't worry, Rukia-nee. I'm pretty sure I can outrun him long enough… at least until I run into Ichi-nii," Karin looked at Rukia. "After all, he's the one who can cut this jerk up, right?"

Rukia stared at Karin, a surprised look on her face. Her eyes softened. "So, you remember…" Rukia trailed off. "How much do you—"

"No time for that right now, Rukia-nee!" Karin barked at her. She turned towards Rukia fully, "We can talk more, once we finish this."

Rukia bit her lip. She knew Ichigo would probably murder her for doing this. "Okay, go, Karin."

Karin nodded and took off down the street towards Kurosaki Clinic, where she assumed Ichigo would be coming from. "Hah! Glad we reached an understanding!" The hollow shouted as it gave Karin a 2-second head start before it leapt after her. As he passed by Rukia, he winked at her mockingly, "Don't move from there, Shinigami-chan!"

Karin was running at top speed in a zig zag, trying to dodge the leeches as they were launched at her. She felt fear. These things were starting to flank her, and she would have no escape pretty soon. _Damn it, Ichi-nii! Where are you?_

She was starting to get the hang of running in and out between the leeches. _It's like weaving through the cones, but I don't have to worry about dribbling a ball._ Her ankles could definitely handle the quick maneuvers she was doing.

Karin jumped over a spray of leeches. The hollow mocked her, "First mistake!"

Karin gasped when she realized that there was another frog on the ledge, waiting for her. She cursed. Since she was in the air, she couldn't change directions. The leeches were all over her now. Karin felt tears. _I'm dead…!_ With all these leeches on her, there's no way she could survive a detonation.

"Karin!"

Karin turned towards the voice of her brother and called out to him, "Ichi-nii!" But it was too late. The next thing she heard was the chime of the hollow's tongue. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she felt her knees give out. And then everything went dark.

* * *

 **Slightly longer chapter this time.**

 **Did everyone watch the live action movie? I loved it. Ichiruki feels :')**


	8. Chapter 7

Ichigo was running as quickly as he could. After running into a barely conscious Yuzu, he made sure to send her home after she explained that she saw Yuuichi's past in a dream. He had to figure out where Chad and that parakeet were. Ichigo tried to rack his brain for ideas. _Come on, isn't there a way to detect a dead spirit?_ Just then several white ribbons sprang from the ground. Ichigo stopped in his tracks as he looked at them. _All right! Let's try this!_

Ichigo closed his eyes, trying to focus as much as he could on the spirit of Yuuichi. He found him. _Gotcha!_ He grabbed the ribbon and took off at top speed in that direction.

When he arrived, he found Rukia kneeling beside Chad, healing the open wound on his back. "Rukia! What's going on?" The next thing he noticed was the parakeet cage covered in giant worm-like creatures.

"Ichigo! What are you doing here!?" Rukia's face was pale, "Where's Karin-chan!?"

Ichigo's eyes darkened, "What do you mean?"

Rukia could feel it again: Ichigo's menacing aura. "She was running toward the clinic… hoping to run into you—" Rukia's eyes were wide. "That hollow… It's chasing after her."

Ichigo exploded with fury, "What the hell are you two doing here, then?" Ichigo shouted at the two of them on the ground.

"The parakeet cage has bombs all ov—" Chad spoke up.

" _Fuck the parakeet_!" Ichigo yelled angrily. "My sister is—"

Rukia took this moment as a good time to push Ichigo's Shinigami soul out of him. "—being chased by that hollow! Go, Ichigo! She should be on her way to the clinic."

Ichigo clenched his teeth. He was beyond pissed. He drew his sword and slashed the frogs and leeches around the cage. He glared at Rukia furiously before he took off and practically disappeared before her eyes.

Rukia swallowed thickly. She knew he had every right to be furious. But, Karin had a better chance of surviving than Yuuichi at the time. Rukia tried to rationalize her actions as she closed her eyes and sent a prayer that Ichigo would make it in time.

After all, it seemed that he learned _shunpo._

* * *

"First mistake!"

Ichigo heard a voice that definitely wasn't human as he rounded the corner. "Karin!" he shouted as he saw his sister.

His heart dropped into his stomach when he saw her covered in the same worms that covered Yuuichi's cage. She looked at him with a face full of fear, "Ichi-nii!" Then, Ichigo heard a high-pitched noise, and then his sister's blood spray. Her body collapsed to the floor, blood pooling around her.

Ichigo was shell-shocked. His eyes were wide open. He tore his eyes away from his sister's lifeless body and turned his attention to the Hollow. He couldn't hear anything. All he saw was the offending creature with its tongue still sticking out. Based on the way the hollow's mouth was flapping, it was probably talking to Ichigo. But, he didn't care. Images of his mother and sister laying in a pool of blood were flashing before his eyes. He stalked towards the hollow and then seemingly disappeared and reappeared right in front of it.

Ichigo didn't draw his sword. He just grabbed the tongue that was still sticking out of its mask. Before the hollow could react to how quickly Ichigo appeared before it, he had mercilessly ripped the tongue out.

He couldn't form a coherent thought. All he knew was that he wanted this _monster_ to suffer. So, Ichigo finally drew his zanpakutou, and he slashed off the creature's arm. It howled in pain, seeming to beg for forgiveness as it tried to crawl away lamely and disgustingly, like an insect after losing a limb. But Ichigo couldn't hear anything. All he could hear was his sister's final cry of desperation looping itself at the forefront of his mind.

"Ichigo!" Rukia called out to him. She gulped when she saw that Ichigo was towering over the hollow, its limbs slashed from its body and its abdomen impaled by Ichigo's zanpakutou. Then, Rukia saw Karin's bloodied body. Rukia quickly understood Ichigo's demeanor. She knew she had to do something. Rukia tried to ignore the howls from the hollow as she knelt by Karin's side.

The good thing about the Kurosaki family was that their bodies were rich with spiritual power, Ichigo and Karin especially. Though it was faint, Rukia could still feel a small spirit within her. Immediately, Rukia set to work on closing up the wounds on her body.

Just then, Rukia heard a loud noise and felt a gust of wind coming from behind her. She kept her hands on Karin, but she turned her head. _The gates of hell._ Finally, there was silence again. And she heard the approach of Ichigo's footsteps. "So, you finally put it out of its misery?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo sighed deeply, "I could feel Karin's spiritual power again. I thought it was gone." Ichigo closed his eyes and took another deep breath. "I'm sorry I lost it earlier…" Rukia glanced at him. "Knowing Karin, she probably didn't leave you much of a choice." Ichigo huffed a bit. "And… thank you, Rukia. You saved us."

Rukia smiled gently at Ichigo. She knew that he was thanking her for more than just today. She just nodded in response, bringing her attention back to healing Karin's injuries.

* * *

The next morning, Ichigo was relieved to find both his sisters, fully recovered and sitting at the table. "Good morning, Onii-chan!" Yuzu called out to him in a cheerful tone.

"Oh. Mornin', Yuzu." Ichigo greeted back as he sat at the table with his plate of food. "Where's the old man?" he asked as he started to dig into his food.

"Visiting Ishida Hospital," Karin answered smoothly. "Something about checking up on patients that he transferred."

Ichigo nodded, returning to eating his breakfast.

"Ichi-nii, are you busy after school today?" Karin asked while munching on a sausage link.

Seeing his little sister perfectly healthy felt surreal. Ichigo took a while to answer. He just wanted to take in this image: both of his sisters in perfect health. It would take a while before he would be able to fully banish the images of Karin laying in a pool of blood and Yuzu unconscious in the grip of a hollow. "No, I don't think so. What's up?"

Karin looked at Ichigo meaningfully. "Something I want to talk to you and Rukia-nee about."

Ichigo understood. He glanced at Yuzu who didn't show anything in her expression. "Ah. Okay."

* * *

As it turns out, Ichigo was very busy that day. He had to spend the better part of the morning stressed about his crumbling reputation at the hands of the mod soul that had taken his body hostage. " _This product is the top of the line in Soul Society," she said. "No one will notice the difference," she said._ Ichigo thought to himself bitterly as he chased after his body that was leaping throughout the streets.

The worst part was, it was still his body. So, even if he captured him, he wouldn't be able to take out his anger on the modified soul by beating the living crap out of it. The one dealing with the consequences of said beat down would be Ichigo when he returned to his body.

Finally, it looked like Ichigo would be able to give the modified soul a piece of his mind. "Finally caught up to you, you little shit!" Ichigo shouted, perching himself atop a concrete fence.

"Ichi-nii! What the hell!?" The voice of his little sister made Ichigo realize just where the modified soul had chosen to settle down.

Ichigo was about to call out to his two sisters when he realized that they weren't actually looking at him. Yuzu's and Karin's stunned expressions were directed at his body, who had leapt over their 3 m tall school gate. The modified soul stared down at the two girls who were staring at him intently. One looked significantly more hostile than the other.

"Sorry, kiddos. Not into flat chests like yours. Maybe in a few years," "Ichigo" said to them. He leapt into the air again, making his escape.

Ichigo wanted to tear his hair out at what the bastard was implying to his _little sisters._ Yuzu looked scandalized while Karin had a murderous expression on her face. "Don't say such disgusting things with my brother's face!" Karin wound her leg back and kicked a red rubber ball wrapped in her spirit power straight at "Ichigo." It hit him square in the face while he was mid-air, causing him to fall to the ground.

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't have to deal with clearing up the misunderstanding. Karin and Yuzu seemed to understand that it was an impostor. "Good job, Karin!" Ichigo called out to her as he jumped down from the gate. Karin hadn't noticed the Shinigami Ichigo yet, and had proceeded to kick "Ichigo" in the gut while he was down. "Hey! Take it easy! It's still me!"

"Ugh… it's like I'm getting kicked by myself," The fake Ichigo muttered to himself, holding onto his gut. "I didn't think anyone else had legs like mine… let alone some flat grade school brat."

The last comment was enough to set Karin off. "Say that again, damn you!" She placed a well-aimed kick to the fake Ichigo's solar plexus. The mod soul grunted and groaned in pain.

"Karin! Stop!" The real Ichigo had wrapped Karin up into a fireman-carry. She was struggling against his hold though, kicking and shouting at him to let her down so she could beat the crap out of Fake Ichigo. Ichigo winced when one of Karin's kicks connected. _Damn it, if she kicked my body like that 5 times, I'm really going to be hurting when I get my body back!_

"Damn it! Ichi-nii!" Karin continued to flail within Ichigo's grip, but he refused to release her. "He's getting away!"

That got Ichigo's attention. He cursed and placed his little sister on her feet. Immediately upon her release, Karin took off like a bullet, presumably in the direction that "Ichigo" had run off to. Ichigo shouted after her, "Hey! Karin!"

"Onii-chan… who was that?"

 _Shit!_ Ichigo had gotten caught up in the moment and completely forgot about Yuzu. "Yuzu…" Ichigo began, "You can… see me now?" Ichigo knew that Karin had always been able to see him in his Shinigami form, but he was surprised to have his other little sister address him.

Yuzu nodded. "Ever since what happened in Orihime-san's apartment…"

Ichigo repressed a groan. Guess there was no helping it. Rukia did warn him about this happening after all. Speaking of Rukia, she had just arrived, running with a lot more urgency. She was clutching her beeping cell phone.

"Ichigo! Trouble!" She held up her cellphone for emphasis and took off in the direction that Karin and his body had fled.

"Damn it!" Ichigo had a bad feeling about this. He quickly started following Rukia. He gave one final glance at Yuzu. "I'll explain everything. To you and Karin. But I have to take care of this first."

Yuzu nodded understandingly.

* * *

"Ugh! Kurosaki is so annoying! You would think that being a girl, she'd hate gym class like us too." A gaggle of elementary school boys had formed behind the school. They were all sitting in a circle, hunched over their handheld consoles.

"So true. All she does is yell at you if you miss the ball. So she's an athlete—big whoop. I'd like to see her beat my score in gunner bout."

"Yeah, seriously. It's not like she's gonna be in FIFA. Bitch should just butt out."

"Hey, you three geeks!"

All three boys felt a jolt of fear and surprise at the voice of the girl they were gossiping about. One of them nearly dropped the console in his hands. They all turned to look, fear in their eyes for the pounding they were bound to receive. The skinnier boy who called her a bitch spoke up, "Y-yo… Kurosaki. What's up?"

Karin glared at them. Clearly, she had heard their conversation. But, she had more important matters to take care of than a few geeks. "Have you seen an orange-haired high school student?"

She was returned with only a look of confusion. Exasperated, Karin left the scene trying to locate the fake Ichigo again.

"The hell was that all about?" One kid asked, pushing up his glasses that were slipping down the bridge of his nose.

"Who cares? We've been saved from an assault!" Another said, placing his hands together as if sending a prayer of thanks.

"Didn't realize Kurosaki was such a weirdo on top of being a… Oh, damn it! My avatar died while we were talking."

The strange behavior of Karin was easily forgotten. "Seriously? Mine still has half health."

"Screw it. I'll just delete him. He sucks anyway." Some beeps came from the handheld console. "Not gonna listen to your creator? Then die!"

An ominous presence broke the conversation between the three elementary students. They all turned, afraid that Karin had returned to follow through on her beatdown.

Instead, they were met with a different Kurosaki. This Kurosaki had a much more chilling and menacing aura about him though. The kids watched in fear as he raised his leg. Expecting the high school student to kick them, they were surprised when his foot landed on their game consoles. They were effectively and completely broken beyond use.

Fake Ichigo sneered at them, and without a word, he turned to leave. The three students ran away, crying for their sensei. Just then, the familiar cry of a hollow rang out. "Damn it."

"Ah! Finally found you, you fake Ichi-nii!" The hollow's screech caused Karin to switch focus. "Ugh. _Now?_ Why is it always at the worst possible time?"

The pair got into their battle stances to square off against the hollow that appeared. It reared back, and the two Kurosakis stared it down, daring it to make a move.

But the attack never came. The hollow's attention shifted as well. Perhaps it was more intelligent than the normal run-of-the-mill hollow. It knew that it had no chance against Karin, fake Ichigo, and the approaching Shinigami. Why go through so much trouble when there was a highly appetizing morsel nearby, practically defenseless. The hollow made an about-face, advancing towards Yuzu, who was standing next to the gate.

The hollow prepared its attack. With its leg extended, it would be able to impale Yuzu with ease. Ichigo, Karin, and Rukia paled and shouted Yuzu's name all at the same time.

But, the attack didn't reach Yuzu. The blood spilled upon the ground ended up being the fake Ichigo's. With the powered up legs on the mod soul, it seemed like he was the fastest in reaching and protecting Yuzu.

Ichigo wasn't far behind. He angrily slashed his sword, splitting the hollow's mask in two. It disappeared quickly. Ichigo sighed with relief. He tried to reel in his anger from earlier. After all, the mod soul had just saved his little sister. "Thanks… for saving Yuzu." Ichigo wanted to yell at the mod soul for injuring his body, but he couldn't gather the energy for it.

"Yeah. It's… what I was created for," Fake Ichigo said. He breathed a sigh, "Although, technically I'm not even meant to exist in the first place. I don't think any of you could even begin to understand the fear of being selected for extermination. I just… when I finally got to have a taste of freedom…" He looked at Ichigo and Rukia with an apologetic expression. "Maybe I got carried away…"

Karin and Ichigo folded their arms across their chests as Yuzu placed a hand upon his shoulder in a reassuring gesture. He glanced her way. A small smile started to form upon his face when suddenly a green pill emerged from the Fake Ichigo's mouth.

"Sorry about that, Kurosaki-san! I'll take this product off your hands, and I'll be sure to properly dispose of it." Urahara had appeared from behind. He was holding his cane up, and he bent down to retrieve the pill that fell to the ground.

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, but Rukia beat him to it. "Urahara, what do you think you're doing? Repossessing an item that you sold to a customer… what kind of business do you run?"

Urahara pouted, "Of course… I'll offer you compensation, Kuchiki-san."

Rukia snatched the pill from him. "No need. We're satisfied. Aren't we, Ichigo?" She tossed it to him.

Ichigo caught the pill easily, nodding as he squeezed his hand around it.

Urahara shrugged, "Suit yourselves. As a service for this mishap, we will replace the memories of any witnesses today." Urahara turned on his heel with Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta following closely behind him.

* * *

"So, you stole Rukia-nee's Shinigami powers from her, Ichi-nii?" Karin asked. After a tiring day, the four of them were walking down the sidewalk, heading home for a much-needed rest.

"Yeah." Ichigo answered, keeping an eye out for any stray dogs or cats that got run over by a car. He really wanted to yell at the mod soul at least a little bit.

"And until they return, you're just going to continue her Shinigami duties for her? How long will that take?" Yuzu continued, holding the green pill in her hand as she inspected it.

"It shouldn't be much longer now," Rukia answered Yuzu. Even though she said that, Rukia didn't feel that confident in that answer as she flexed her fingers.

"You know…" Karin started, searching for the words to say. Everyone halted in their steps. She gulped as if that might help her find a way to express how she was feeling. "To be honest, I was really pissed at you and dad," She said quickly, clenching her fists at her sides as she glared at Ichigo.

Ichigo turned around fully and looked at her with a much gentler expression on his face compared to the typical scowl. He nodded, and Karin took that as a cue to continue.

"I mean…! Yuzu… and I—that night—" Showing her vulnerable side was never easy for Karin. She would rather die than admit that she was scared. Even to her own family. And Ichigo knew that. He understood that feeling all too well. "No more secrets!" Karin shouted at him, crossing her arms and turning away.

Rukia placed a hand on Karin's shoulder, now that she had turned towards her. "Yeah. No more secrets. We promise."

Weeks of frustration that had built up ever since that fateful night were lifted from Karin's shoulders. Yuzu must have felt it too because she rushed into Ichigo's arms, tears spilling down her cheeks. Rukia wrapped her arms gently around Karin. There were no tears shed, but Karin was grateful for the comfort.

Ichigo and Rukia glanced up at each other before quickly looking away.

* * *

The four of them arrived at Kurosaki Clinic with no luck in regards to a body to place the mod soul into. "Ah! Bostafu!" Yuzu cried as she noticed a small stuffed lion in the trash. "What are you doing here? Did Otou-san try to throw you away again?" Yuzu started dusting it off with her hand.

"Yuzu, that's dirty." Ichigo said as he approached her. He held out his hand for the toy as Yuzu gently placed it in his palm. Ichigo stared at the toy meaningfully.

"Speaking of the old man," Karin looked at Rukia who was standing by her side. "How does he fit into all of this with Sandal-Hat?"

Rukia folded her arms over her chest and heaved a sigh. "Truth be told, I barely know anything about the situation with your father and Urahara Kisuke, or Sandal-Hat as you called him." She stared down at the expectant eyes of Karin. "About 20 years ago, I only knew your father by name as 'Shiba Isshin,' captain of the 10th squad of the Gotei 13. I had never spoken to him personally, but I had seen him a few times in Seireitei. I remember there was a report that he had gone missing. Despite multiple search efforts, he was never found. He was later declared 'killed in action.'"

Ichigo continued staring at the stuffed toy, having heard this story from Rukia earlier. But, Rukia held Yuzu's and Karin's undivided attention. Rukia closed her eyes. "I barely even recognized him the night that I met all of you. Had he not acknowledged me while out of my gigai, I wouldn't have thought twice about him being a regular human. The thought of a Shinigami captain becoming a human and raising a family… I'm sure no one would have ever expected that to be his whereabouts for 20 years. You three will have to ask him for the full story."

Karin and Yuzu looked at each other, seeing the same expression of confusion reflected in their twin. "And Urahara-san?" Yuzu asked.

Rukia sighed. "I know even less about Urahara. His story is more than a century old, and my account would be based upon rumors and urban legends," Rukia explained to them. "But, they all unify around one detail: He was the most reprehensible traitor to Soul Society."

Karin and Yuzu gulped, not expecting that in the slightest. The thought that the odd and cheerful shopkeeper had such a title surrounding him was surreal. "But, despite all that, the truth of the matter is that he is the only one that we can turn to for help regarding Ichigo's and my predicament. I don't trust him, but he is useful."

There was a solemn and tense air weighing down upon the four of them. Yuzu and Karin were processing the information that was still shrouded in mystery while Rukia was contemplating whether she had made the right choice in divulging such information to these young and impressionable humans.

"Jeez! What a downer, Nee-san!" A boisterous and nasally voice cut through the tension suddenly.

All three girls looked at Ichigo, all wearing the same expression of confusion, because it sounded like the voice came from—

"Wait, why are you all so big?" The stuffed toy that Yuzu called "Bostafu" was talking.

Rukia eyed Ichigo.

"What? I didn't think it would actually work!" Ichigo held up his hands.

* * *

The foursome were walking through the threshold of the Kurosaki household, removing their shoes at the entrance.

"But, you know," Yuzu remarked as she held Bostafu in her hands, "'Modified Soul' is just too impersonal. Why don't we give him a name? Like… Kai?" Bostafu's eyes twinkled in approval.

"Rejected," Ichigo and Karin said at the same time, holding their arms up in an "X." Bostafu leapt from Yuzu's hands and attempted to kick Ichigo's shins. Despite the mod soul's powered up legs, they were useless when they were stuffed with fluff.

"Eh? Why?" Yuzu asked, pouting.

"No, don't get us wrong, Yuzu," Ichigo placed a hand on his little sister's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"'Modified Soul' _is_ a bit too long," Karin agreed.

"But 'Kai' is too 'cool'… isn't it?" Rukia cut in. Both of them nodded in response as Rukia rolled her eyes.

It surprised Ichigo a little bit that Rukia seemed to know and understand him so well. After all, it had only been less than a month since they met. And yet, she always seemed to understand his feelings, on the level of family, or… Ichigo folded his arms across his chest.

She really was beginning to play a more and more significant role in his life. _We argue all the time. But, she's given me this power, this ability to protect my family. Gratitude doesn't quite cut it. For me, Rukia is…_ Ichigo cut off that train of thought, not quite ready to think about such a subject. Ichigo took a deep breath, snatching the stuffed toy kicking his shins. "All right. Let's call him 'Kon.'"

* * *

 **Wow, chapters are getting longer and longer. Hope it's not too much...?**


	9. Chapter 8

"Onii-chan! Come on! We're going to be late!" Yuzu called out to her brother from outside the door.

Not even a second later, Ichigo's bedroom door swung open. But, neither Ichigo nor Rukia were dressed in their school uniforms. Yuzu smiled as she saw Rukia emerge. "Ah! Rukia-san, you look so good in the dress!"

Rukia smiled back at Yuzu, "Yes, it's very fitting and comfortable. Thank you for lending me your clothes, Yuzu-chan."

The three of them made their way downstairs and out the front door where they met with Karin and Isshin. "Okay! Is everyone ready for our annual family reunion?" Isshin's loud voice announced. "Everyone's accounted for! Let's load ourselves into the car!"

Yuzu took her seat in the middle of Rukia and Karin in the backseat. She made some conversation with Rukia as her twin sister just stared out the window of the moving car. It felt so strange, riding in the car with everyone, knowing what she knew now. Her father had another side to him, one shrouded in mystery that even Ichigo and Rukia barely knew about.

Now that things were more out in the open, Yuzu felt that she had met Rukia again for the first time. There was no need for her to keep up that strange façade and accent. Rukia did her best to answer any questions that Yuzu had about Soul Society, hollows, and spirits.

Speaking of spirits, Yuzu wondered if she would be able to see a certain spirit… one in "high-spec" as Karin called it. After all, that was the purpose of this reunion. To pay respects to their mother, Kurosaki Masaki.

"What sort of person was your mother?" Rukia asked gently.

Yuzu saw both her brother and sister visibly stiffen. Her father seemed unfazed. Yuzu smiled gently at Rukia. She didn't want Rukia to feel as though she had crossed a line in asking that question. "She was a very warm person. Karin-chan and I were really young when she died, but Otou-san would tell me about how kind she was." Yuzu paused in thought, "She was kind of the center of our universe. When she died, it really affected all of us… Onii-chan especially, since he was there when—"

"Yuzu." Isshin cut in.

Yuzu immediately stopped talking, as she saw that Ichigo was clenching his fists, turning his knuckles white. She looked at Rukia, who had a pensive expression upon her face.

* * *

Yuzu and Karin both stood in front of their mother's grave. Their father had gone to buy cigarettes while Ichigo and Rukia had made their way into the forest. Seemed there was a suspicious presence coming from there that they had to investigate.

Yuzu knelt before her mother's grave, placing her hands together in prayer. "Hi, Mom. It doesn't feel like it's been a year, huh? So many things have happened. I can see spirits now, too! I feel like I've entered a whole new world sometimes. Oh, but don't worry! I'm still focusing on school, especially since Karin-chan and I are starting our last year of elementary school."

Yuzu paused and then clapped her hands together, "Guess what, Mom! I entered a cooking competition. There was so much delicious food there, but I won with your curry recipe! Dad showed me your notebook of recipes, and…" Yuzu's voice cracked as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. "I wish… you could have tasted—" Covering her face with her hands, she fell into full-blown sobs.

Yuzu heard Karin sigh from behind her. A reassuring hand was placed on her shoulder. "Come on, Yuzu. You cry every year. She wouldn't want you to cry like this, right?"

Suddenly, a girl about their age with dark hair cut into a bob was standing before them. Yuzu stood up to take a step back from her sudden appearance as Karin stiffened. "Who are—Kya!" Before Yuzu could finish, a red hand had snatched her into the air, wrapped around her body.

"Yuzu!" Karin yelled.

Yuzu struggled to breathe as she tried to move out of the hollow's grip around her body. All Yuzu could muster was, "Karin-chan… Run away… Onii-chan…" The hollow gripped her tighter and she let out a cry of pain that she couldn't hold back.

"Put her down!" Yuzu could hear Karin yelling, but she could barely see. She heard Karin cry out in pain. Yuzu strained to open her eyes and saw Karin on the ground, the hollow's hand holding her down. "Yuzu…" Karin struggled to raise herself onto her elbows, but the hollow just lifted her into the air and then slammed her into the ground, hard. Karin didn't make any sounds anymore.

"Karin-chan!" Yuzu cried, tears falling from her eyes. She squirmed within the hollow's grip, and she could feel her left hand burning again.

"You're getting noisy," The hollow said ominously. It began to open its mouth. "One hostage is enough."

It brought her closer and closer to its mouth. But, Yuzu refused to be put into the same position as before. Yuzu tried to focus on the burning sensation in her hand, and she could feel it intensifying. The hollow released her with a cry of pain.

Yuzu could feel herself falling, but she never felt the ground. She was safely caught in the arms of her brother… no, not her brother. "Kon-kun…" Yuzu whispered. "How…"

Kon looked at her fully. "I'm a Mod soul, built specifically for hollow extermination. My hollow detection is second to none, so I'm way faster than Nee-san's cell phone. Ichigo, Rukia, and your dad shouldn't be far behind me," Kon explained to her. "More importantly… we need to get your sister, too."

Yuzu nodded. Karin was still unconscious underneath the hand of that hollow.

"So much delicious prey in front of me," the hollow remarked in a sinister tone. Its tongue snaked its way across its mouth in an unsettling way.

Ichigo slashed his zanpakutou, cutting off the hollow's arm that was caging Karin to the ground. Rukia quickly grabbed Karin and brought her to safety.

Yuzu quickly ran to Rukia and Karin's side. "Don't worry. She's just unconscious," Rukia reassured Yuzu.

Yuzu could only nod as she tried to hold back her tears. She turned back to see her brother squaring off against the hollow. But, Yuzu could tell that her brother seemed shaken. "You…" Ichigo whispered, seeming to pay more attention to the black-haired girl rather than the hollow. "You're the same girl from 6 years ago… Why are you here?"

"Oh? You've seen me before? I'm surprised I let you live." The hollow snickered. "Looks like it was a good choice. Like marinating a steak. You have such delicious spiritual pressure now." The hollow laughed wholeheartedly now. "One…" he pointed at Ichigo. "Two… Three… Four…" He pointed at Rukia, Karin, and Yuzu. "Five…" He pointed at Kon. He laughed again, "And six!" He was pointing at Isshin who had just arrived. "I don't know if I have the appetite for all six of you!"

" _You. The Grand Fisher._ " Isshin hissed. His fists were clenched at his sides. Yuzu looked at her father with wide eyes. She had never seen her father like this. "My wife and son 6 years ago… and now my precious daughters…" Isshin placed his hand over his forearm, with his palm aimed at the hollow's mask. " _Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws._ _Hadou #33: Blue Fire Crash Down!_ "

An impressively sized blue sphere of spiritual power fired off from Isshin's hand. It exploded upon contact with the hollow's mask, leaving a burn mark. Still, it wasn't enough to defeat the Grand Fisher. Isshin clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I guess that's all I'm capable of firing." Isshin heaved a sigh of disappointment. "Ichigo… As I am right now, I can't defeat him. I'll take care of Yuzu and Karin." Ichigo looked at his father with a stunned expression. "I leave that monster to you."

Yuzu could see her father's words sinking into her brother. She could tell because she was feeling the same way as she processed the meaning behind her father's words. Ichigo was the one to speak up, "6 years ago… Then…"

Isshin looked at Ichigo with a hardened stare. "Yeah. He attacked you and your mother by the riverbank."

Yuzu brought her hands in front of her mouth as if those would stop the coming tears. They didn't. Yuzu called out to her brother feebly, "Onii-chan…"

Ichigo turned his gaze from his father to Yuzu. She saw the shell-shocked look in his eyes as he looked at her. His eyes went down to Karin, who was still unconscious in Rukia's arms. Without warning, Ichigo disappeared right before Yuzu's eyes. She heard the cry of pain from The Grand Fisher before she saw him again.

The Grand Fisher was now missing both arms.

Ichigo stood at a distance from the hollow, pointing his zanpakutou at the hollow. Yuzu could sense that her brother was on the verge of tears as he launched himself into battle once again. Yuzu held her arms as she cried freely. "Yuzu…?"

Yuzu's attention was brought down to Karin who seemed to have regained consciousness. "Karin-chan!"

Karin attempted to prop herself up on her elbows, but she failed, wincing as she fell back into Rukia's lap. "Don't move yet, Karin-chan. That hollow really did a number on your bones." Rukia explained as she used her kidou.

Defeated, Karin sighed. "Yuzu, why are you crying?"

Yuzu felt tongue-tied. She tried to find the words, but she could barely muster more than a croak. _No more secrets._

"Ichigo is fighting the hollow that killed your mother," Isshin's voice cut in.

Karin's eyes widened. Yuzu could see Karin's thoughts flashing across her face. "Karin-chan!" Yuzu tried to grab a hold of Karin who had suddenly sat up. Rukia had made a grab for her as well.

"Let me go! That bastard—" Karin struggled against their grips. "I have to help Ichi-nii!"

"Enough, Karin-chan!" Rukia had successfully restrained Karin. "That's just the adrenaline talking! You can barely move!"

Karin fell back against Rukia, further proving her point. An exasperated sigh and a frustrated groan. A look of understanding came across Rukia's face. "I know it's frustrating to watch from the sidelines. Believe me, I know the feeling all too well," Rukia closed her eyes. Yuzu noticed Rukia's jaw clench. "Battles fall into two categories: battles to protect life, and battles to protect pride."

Yuzu looked back to her brother who was swinging his sword with intense resolve. The look in his eyes was completely different from the last time she saw him fighting. He had looked desperate before, but now he seemed hardened and determined.

"Before, you saw Ichigo fighting to protect life because each of you were in danger. But in this fight, he is fighting for pride. But not just his." Rukia had a gentle smile on her face, "Ichigo knows how important this battle would be for your mother, father, and you two also. He wants to bring about closure for all of you just as much as he wants it for himself."

Yuzu marveled at Rukia. This woman who had only met her brother a month ago had such a deep understanding of her brother's feelings. It astounded her as much as it astounded Karin, who looked as speechless as Yuzu felt. She could feel the tears again, but she wiped her eyes defiantly. "I believe in Onii-chan." She looked at both Rukia and Karin.

Karin nodded in response as Rukia offered the twins a smile of encouragement, "As you should. Ichigo isn't a novice anymore. He's received excellent Shinigami training and his resolve is strong from the battles he's experienced. There's nothing that hollow can do to shake him."

Rukia's words resonated with Yuzu. She could see how correct those words were. Ichigo had the upper hand. His movements weren't graceful, but each slash of his sword was strong and powerful. It was exhilarating to watch. Ichigo had leapt into the air, his zanpakutou raised above his head as he released a battle cry for the finishing blow.

And then Yuzu's stomach flipped as she looked on, stunned.

"Mom?" Yuzu wasn't even sure if she had whispered that or if one of her siblings had.

All the same, Ichigo's zanpakutou had halted in its path, his demeanor void of that intensity he had before.

"Ichigo! Focus!" Isshin's desperate shout broke the trance too late though.

Yuzu's piercing shriek echoed throughout the forest next. She was sure she would have nightmares of the scene in front of her. Both her mother and Ichigo were impaled by the Grand Fisher's red hand, dripping with Ichigo's blood. Yuzu shut her eyes and grabbed fistfuls of her hair as she continued to scream. She was enveloped in her father's embrace as he rubbed her back reassuringly with shushes. But, Yuzu continued to wail in agony as though she were the one stabbed through the abdomen.

Ichigo half-gurgled, half-choked out, "You damn bastard…" Blood spilled from his mouth, "How dare you bring my mother's image to this place…" Ichigo wheezed as he raised his zanpakutou. The Grand Fisher seemed shocked that Ichigo could even move. Now Ichigo had stabbed Grand Fisher through. "I won't lose to the same, dirty trick twice!" Ichigo shouted as he sliced the hollow nearly in half. Ichigo stabbed his blade into the ground and leaned his weight into it to steady himself. The Grand Fisher had retracted his arm, so now Ichigo's wound was bleeding even more profusely. The hollow, along with its lure, slowly disintegrated until it was no more.

"Onii-chan!" Yuzu shouted as she ran over to him. Rukia was close behind her, her hands already glowing. Kon had carried Karin over so that she could be closer to her heavily injured brother. Isshin sauntered over to them as well.

Yuzu saw the gaping wound left behind as Rukia did her best to close it. Tears fell from her eyes, which she wiped away furiously. Somehow, he was still conscious and able to speak, "Yuzu. Karin. Oyaji." He regarded each of them. "Are you guys okay?"

Isshin huffed, an amused twinkle in his eye.

"You're one to talk! Stupid Ichi-nii!" Karin's voice cracked, but she maintained the scowl on her face. She folded her arms across her chest.

Yuzu only nodded and smiled happily at her older brother. She glanced at Rukia, who had a gentle expression as she gazed upon Ichigo. She seemed… grateful. "You're lucky, Ichigo. This wound should be fatal. But, your tremendous spiritual power is keeping you alive," Rukia smirked. "Your whole family seems to have been born with that fortune."

Isshin looked at Rukia with an expression that Yuzu couldn't read. Rukia seemed to realize something and looked down in shame, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—"

Isshin cut her off, "No. You're right. We are lucky, Rukia-chan. Masaki's soul can rest in peace now thanks to you and Ichigo. It was lucky—perhaps fated—that you and my son met." Isshin looked to the sky. "Now I'm sure that I can meet Masaki again, in Soul Society." Isshin retrieved the whistle around his neck and blew it. "Now then! It's time for us to head home," Isshin began walking away.

Yuzu looked up at the sky too. She smiled. _I'll see you later, Mom._

* * *

 **Hello? Apologies for such a late update. But, I am alive and well. Hope you enjoyed!**


	10. Chapter 9

"Well!? What do you have to say for yourselves!?" The Physical Education teacher, Kogine-sensei was in the middle of scolding the pair of high school students.

Ichigo rolled his eyes.

Kogine's fury was ignited as he grabbed a fistful of Ichigo's shirt. "Think of how much shame you've brought to the school because of your thoughtless actions!"

Ichigo huffed. Thoughtless actions. If it weren't for me, all of the townsfolk would have been hollow-fodder.

To re-cap, The Kurosakis + Rukia had attended the "festival" as Rukia called it, to have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness Don Kanonji in action. Yuzu and Isshin were fans of the show, so naturally everyone in the Kurosaki household was expected to attend the spectacle. Ichigo and Karin were unamused and irritated as the signature tagline and move were performed by the crowd.

The screech of the demi-hollow was enough to break Yuzu's and Isshin's fanatics, Ichigo's and Karin's boredom, and Rukia's amusement. Karin was the most impulsive, and she had jumped the barricade to intervene. She was very quickly apprehended. Isshin, just as quickly, got into an almost comical argument with the security team over the release of his daughter. Yuzu had shouted for her brother's help, since he had been standing a bit further back in the crowd with Rukia. After seeing Karin get apprehended, Rukia and Ichigo were much stealthier about their approach.

With her red glove donned, Rukia released Ichigo's Shinigami form, and he sprang into action. He had successfully knocked Kanonji out of the way and performed the soul burial in the nick of time. With a breath of relief, Ichigo now had to tend to the more important issue at hand: his little sister having a very public dispute on national television. He returned to Rukia, and the two of them got into a heated argument with producers and security. Well, Ichigo did.

Ichigo only made matters worse with his hotheadedness and frustration at the near crisis of a hollow transforming in the presence of hundreds of spectators, many of whom included his classmates and neighbors. Several insults were thrown about how ridiculous the show was and that the medium was a hack. Karin only added more insults and accusations. Rukia tried to get Ichigo to calm down while Yuzu tried to do the same for her twin. All the while, Isshin, who had collected himself once his "precious and delicate daughter" was no longer being "man-handled by those big oafs" hung back with Don Kanonji and explained to him why things turned out the way they did and that it was for the best.

Don Kanonji was the one to mitigate the conflict, allowing the studio and Kurosaki household to return.

Still, it was a live broadcast, and the very public fight had gone viral. So now, Rukia and Ichigo were facing the consequences.

"Well!? What do you have to say for yourselves?"

Luckily, Rukia's acting ability had leveled up. Ichigo choked back the vomit building in his throat at her theatrics and fake tears. He had one leg in and one leg out of the faculty room when Rukia had devolved into sobs, wails, and supplications to God. With the art of distraction, the two were able to slip away from the faculty room with relative ease.

The pair met up by the equipment storage room. Rukia smirked at him in a way that infuriated him to no end now that they were out in the open. "And you said I couldn't act." She playfully smacked him in the chest as he glared down at her.

A well-pointed insult about how Rukia's mannerisms were barely passable for the century was on the tip of Ichigo's tongue, but before he could speak, Rukia's cell phone went off.

The sound changed the entire atmosphere, and without a word, Rukia retrieved Kon from her bag. Rather forcefully, she removed and tossed the soul pill at Ichigo. Ichigo's soul ejected from his body, and the two of them took off, running down the streets of Karakura town for their target.

"Hey, there actually is a hollow this time, right?"

Rukia elbowed Ichigo in the side as he nearly doubled over and tripped. "Fool! Soul Society's orders are absolute!"

Ichigo wheezed a bit, holding onto the rib that Rukia had mercilessly struck. "Yeah, but the last few times these 'absolute' orders have been wrong! Did you talk to Urahara-san about it?"

Rukia sighed in response, "That man speaks nothing but nonsense. 'Who knows, Kuchiki-san?' or 'Wow, how strange, isn't it, Kuchiki-san?'" Rukia imitated Urahara's voice irritatedly. The shopkeeper constantly hid what he was thinking by cryptically tilting his hat or by covering his mouth with his fan, all the while holding a bemused twinkle in his eyes.

With the two of them running at top speed, they reached their destination quickly. Both slid to a stop in front of an alley. A Plus was crouching behind the dumpster as they took a step closer. "Tch." Ichigo clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Again? What the hell is going on? How many times are we—"

"Perhaps I can explain."

Ichigo and Rukia both turned at the sound of a new voice behind them. A young boy, with dark hair parted down the middle of his forehead, was standing there, wearing the uniform from Karakura High. Rukia's eyes widened as she followed Ishida's eyeline to Ichigo's form.

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked with a sneer. Unlike Rukia, Ichigo hadn't made the connection that he could be seen, despite being in his Shinigami form yet.

"Ishida Uryuu," Ishida pushed his glasses up. His expression remained stoic as he continued, "And you're Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia: Shinigami."

Ichigo finally realized. "He can see me…"

"I've been watching you two for a while now. And I have to say, your performance in hollow hunting is… pitiful. I have reservations about leaving this town's safety in the hands of a wash out," Ishida eyed Rukia pointedly as she clenched her fist, "… and a boor with barely more brawn than brains." His gaze fixated upon Ichigo.

Enraged, Ichigo rolled up the sleeve of his shihakusho in a threatening manner, "Wanna run that by me again? You—"

Ishida's attention shifted to his right. "A hollow has appeared."

Sure enough, Rukia's cell phone began to chirp a moment after he said that. Ichigo and Rukia could only stare at Ishida, shocked. "How could he—"

Ishida huffed, "Child's play." He extended his right arm, a cross dangling from a silver chain wrapped around his wrist. Placing his left hand's fingertips at the cross, light blue reishi began to gather at his wrist. Ichigo and Rukia could only stare, awestruck as Ishida materialized a bow and arrow from reishi. He fired the arrow. A hollow in flight was hit, and it disintegrated as quickly as it appeared. Ichigo gaped as Rukia clenched her teeth.

"You're a quincy!" Rukia hissed as she pointed an accusing finger at him.

Ishida turned his attention back to her. "Indeed." He disappeared and reappeared much closer to the both of them suddenly. The two of them gasped when Ishida reached both his hands towards them. They stared as Ishida snatched two red ribbons each from in front of them. "Did you know, Kurosaki? Spirit threads of Shinigami are red. I've known about you two from the very beginning," Ishida turned his back on them, taking a few steps away. He craned his neck to look at them over his shoulder. "And I've hated you Shinigami ever since."

Ichigo curled his upper lip and raised an eyebrow. "Hated Shinigami?"

Rukia cut in. "Your hatred is unfounded. Soul Society had no choice. You quincies were destroying hollows. You would have brought about the end of the world. We Shinigami have to protect the balance, and—"

Ishida held a hand up, stopping Rukia from talking. "Please. I do not hate Shinigami for a petty reason like that. That was 200 years ago, and my obstinate ancestors were in the wrong." Rukia looked at Ishida with bewilderment. Ishida reached into his pocket. "Now that introductions are out of the way, I challenge you, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo grinned, "I accept!" It seemed that nothing gets Ichigo more geared up than a battle. Rukia attempted to silence him, but he ignored her. "I'd love to pound a punk like you into the ground," Ichigo punched his fist into his other hand. "So? What are the terms of this?"

"We'll use this," Ishida said, retrieving a small, coin-like object from his pocket. Before either of them could react, he crushed it in his fingers, scattering the dust in the air. He smirked, "Whoever kills more hollows, wins."

Ichigo looked confused.

Rukia was positively furious. "How dare you!?" Rukia ran up and closed the distance between her and Ishida. She grabbed a fistful of his collar, pulling his face down to her level. "You would endanger human lives for the sake of some game?"

Ishida shoved Rukia off of him. Ichigo dashed over, "What the hell is going on?"

"He just activated a hollow bait!" Rukia spat. "Hollows are going to flood Karakura Town!"

Now Ichigo was angry. He grabbed Ishida's shirt by the sleeve and shoved him into the brick wall. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"You won't have to worry. I will take down every hollow that dares to breathe in this town. No one will ever be in any danger." To prove his point, he gracefully moved out of his grip with ease. Drawing his bow, he fired another arrow, downing another hollow. Ishida eyed the fuming pair. "That's one. More importantly, you two should know already that hollows are more likely to attack those with high spiritual power."

Ichigo's eyes widened with fear. Without a word, he took off running toward Karakura elementary school.

* * *

Karin was strolling through the park, having just finished classes. She was on her way over to the soccer field, ready to blow off a little steam after a tiring day at school. What she wasn't ready for was the chill that ran down her spine.

"Ichi-nii can handle it," Karin muttered to herself as she climbed the stairs leading to the field.

But, there was something unsettling about the hollow presence this time. Karin looked up at the sky and found an eerie looking black line across it. She had a bad feeling about this. Now there was another hollow screech coming from behind her. Karin retrieved her cell phone and placed a call. She waited for an answer. "Hey. Donny. You guys are still at the burger place, right? Don't bother coming to the field. There are some maintenance guys here. Yeah. Tell everyone else too. Thanks."

She snapped her phone shut and then dropped her ball. "Okay. Let's dance."

* * *

Rukia knew that Ichigo's main concern would always be his sisters. So, she took it upon herself to make sure the rest of Ichigo's friends with spiritual sensitivity were safe. With that in mind, she dashed down the streets, hoping to run into Chad or Inoue.

A small fry hollow appeared before her. "Hadou #31: Red Flame Cannon!" The red ball of reishi took it down easily. Her kidou should be enough to take out the small hollows. But, for bigger ones, she would need Ichigo. Despite the gigai she was inhabiting, it felt like her powers weren't recovering at all. She cursed Urahara in her mind. Must be another defective product.

Rukia's attention shifted to a large crash she could hear in Karakura Square. She cursed. Not a small fry, but I can't just let all those people get hurt. So, she took off at top-speed, fighting through the crowds of people who were running in the opposite direction.

"What was that?"

"Another bomb?"

Rukia saw a larger hollow, hovering above. She gasped upon realizing who was also within the vicinity, staring down the hollow in the sky. "Chad!" Rukia called out to him.

He turned to look at her, "Transfer Student!"

Rukia bit back the urge to correct him regarding her name. She saw the hollow rear itself back, getting ready to swoop in for an attack. She knew she had to stop it.

She took her stance, pointed her elbow toward the hollow, and pulled her hand back as if she were about to throw a frisbee, "Bakudou #4: Crawling Rope!" A yellow rope of reishi emerged from Rukia's hand and wrapped around the hollow. It screeched, and Rukia could feel it starting to break free. She cursed and pointed her index finger at the hollow struggling against its binds. "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudou #61: Six Rod Prisons of Light!" The yellow reishi rope that wrapped itself around the hollow became six beams of light, effectively trapping the hollow.

Rukia smirked. Looks like she could still at least conjure more advanced Kidou spells, even in a gigai. The fact remains though. I can't eliminate a hollow of that level.

As if on cue, the hollow was blasted away right before Rukia's eyes, leaving her gawking. She looked over at Chad, who had his fist clenched, remnants of spirit energy dissipating from his arm. "Thanks, Transfer Student. I'm still getting used to this arm of mine. I was having trouble hitting it when it was flying around like that."

Rukia was no novice. Naturally, she could sense that Chad had heightened spiritual energy ever since the incident with the parakeet. But, she had never expected for it to manifest itself this way. Ichigo's influence is spreading. Rukia's cell phone started beeping within her pocket. Pulling it out, she realized that hollows were beginning to surround Karakura High School. "Come on, Chad! Let's go!"

Wordlessly, Chad followed Rukia, and they took off together toward the direction of Karakura High School.

* * *

Isshin was casually sitting at home, reading up on some of his medical texts when Ichigo rushed inside, fully decked out in shihakusho and a wild look in his eyes. He seemed to be looking for something as he started opening and slamming doors upstairs.

"Shit!" Ichigo yelled as he finished his search.

"Ichigo. What's going on?" Isshin asked. Indeed, ever since Masaki had passed, part of his powers had returned to him. He could sense that there was higher hollow activity than usual.

"Oyaji! Where are Karin and Yuzu?" Ichigo ignored his father. When his father only stared back at him, he cursed and started to pace the floor like a distressed animal. "Some lowlife just activated some hollow bait! There are hollows everywhere! They're in danger!"

Isshin stood up straighter. Although he had some of his spiritual power return, it seemed that he couldn't immediately sense the swarm that his son was talking about. "Karin usually plays soccer with her friends at this time. And Yuzu left a while ago to get groceries." Isshin started putting on his coat.

Ichigo looked at his father with a worried look in his eyes. "Are you planning to leave? I can handle finding Karin and Yuzu."

Isshin scoffed at his son. "Now my idiot, worry-wart of a son is concerned about me?" Isshin was pulling on his shoes now. He turned back to see the look of genuine concern in Ichigo's face. He sighed, "Relax. I'll leave the rescuing and hollow slaying to you," He had his foot out the door now. "I'll be handling the more diplomatic side."

Because Isshin could only think of two places that the Hollow Bait could have come from in Karakura Town: Urahara Shoten and Ishida Hospital.

* * *

Yuzu was skipping down the street, having just bought the groceries she needed for dinner that night. "Chicken karaage~ So delicious~ Yay!" She made a twirl and giggled.

Suddenly, she stopped in her merriment and froze in place. "Hollows…?" Yuzu whispered. She turned around and looked to the sky. She saw dozens of hollows appear suddenly. A gasp escaped from her. She had never seen so many appear at once. One took notice of her and screeched as it began its descent.

Dropping her bag of groceries, Yuzu began to run away at full speed.

"Ooh! Seems this one can see us!"

"How delicious!"

They started taunting her as she ran away. Yuzu shut her eyes, trying to drown them out and focus on running to safety. But, there were so many. Any time she took a turn toward the clinic, one would appear before her, blocking her path. Pretty soon, she would have nowhere left to run.

"And she can't even fight back!"

That particular taunt shook Yuzu to her core. They were right. Onii-chan could take hollows down easily. Karin-chan was getting stronger with her soccer ball. But what could she do? All she could do was run and scream for help.

Yuzu clenched her teeth. She refused to surrender to these monsters, and she kept running. She would survive.

That's right, Yuzu. Take pride. For you are a survivor.

The voice in the back of Yuzu's head was calling out to her again, encouraging her. Again, her left hand felt warm.

A bright blue beam of light whizzed past her head, and she let out a breath of relief. Karin-chan must be close by.

But, Yuzu didn't run into her twin as she had hoped. Standing before her was a bespectacled high school boy, wielding a bow that glowed with the same light Karin-chan's soccer balls did. One after another, the hollows dropped like flies as her rescuer eliminated each one.

She stared in awe at him. The boy brought his attention to her now that the threat was eliminated. "Are you all right?" He asked her. Yuzu started to move closer when the boy's expression of concern changed into one of surprise. "You… What is your name?" He continued asking her questions.

"Kurosaki Yuzu," she answered absently. Something was drawing Yuzu to this boy. She kept staring at the cross hanging from his wrist. She could feel the warmth in her left hand intensifying. Yuzu brought it in front of her. Finally, she noticed the orange light emanating it. Yuzu looked back at him. "Who… are you?"

"Ishida Uryuu. A quincy." Ishida answered. He looked past her and fired another arrow, eliminating another hollow. "Just like you."

Yuzu stared at her hand. She whispered softly, "I am…"

"Yuzu!" Ichigo was sprinting over towards Yuzu as she turned around and faced her brother. "What happened? Are you okay?" He knelt down and was grasping her shoulders, inspecting her for any injuries.

"Onii-chan, I'm fine…" Yuzu said quietly. "Ishida-san saved me," she gestured towards the bespectacled boy.

Ichigo finally took notice of him. He let out a noise akin to a growl and snarled at the quincy. Yuzu didn't understand the hostility that her brother had for the boy. He was her rescuer after all. And he seemed to be knowledgeable about the light glowing in her hand. So, she pushed her way past her brother. "What do you mean? What is a quincy?"

Ishida ignored her. "'Onii-chan?'" He repeated, flabbergasted. "Then, you two are—"

"Siblings," A new voice spoke up. It carried a great deal of gravitas. The three looked towards the source.

"Urahara-san." "Ryuuken." "Otou-san." The three of them said at the same time, each acknowledging different adults.

The man with silver hair that Yuzu vaguely recognized pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Foolish brat. What do you think you're doing?"

"Now, now, Ishida-san. He is about that age, you know." Urahara had an amused glint in his eye as he hit the closed fan into his hand. Ryuuken glared at the shopkeeper. He only smiled back in return, "Besides, your son's little stunt could prove beneficial to all parties in the end!"

Ichigo's expression turned sour. "What the hell are you talking about, Urahara-san? He endangered everyone! For a stupid bet! How can that be beneficial?"

Urahara cryptically pointed to the sky with his fan. Ichigo, Uryuu, and Yuzu all looked up at where he pointed. "It's a good opportunity for some teamwork exercise, Kurosaki-san!" Urahara was returned with incredulous and confused looks from all three. "Let's just say…" The crack in the sky was widening. Large, bony white hands were pulling the gap apart. "… that hollow will require more than just one of you."

Ichigo, without another word, returned his zanpakutou to its sheath, and took off at top speed toward the gigantic hollow that had emerged from the sky.

"Ah! Onii-chan!" Yuzu ran after her brother, leaving a dumbfounded Uryuu with the three men.


	11. Chapter 10

"Ryuuken."

The Ishida patriarch rolled his eyes, "Is that any way to address your father?"

Uryuu ignored him, "That girl is a quincy. Explain."

Ryuuken stared down at his son with an unreadable expression. "You have more important things to attend to." He turned to leave.

Uryuu reached a hand towards his father's shoulder, "We're not finished!" A hand wrapped itself around his wrist before it could reach Ryuuken's shoulder.

"Now's not the time, Uryuu," Isshin was the one who had grabbed Uryuu's wrist. "Knowing my son, he is going to jump headfirst into this fight." Isshin placed both his hands on Uryuu's shoulders. "Neither of you will be able to beat that Menos alone. So, do me this favor. And we'll answer all your questions afterward."

Uryuu stared at Isshin. He sighed and closed his eyes. He didn't say anything; he just disappeared, presumably heading toward the Menos.

"My, my! _Hirenkyaku_? He's learning fast for a _Gemischt_ , Ishida-san _."_ Urahara whistled. "Now then, the kids should all be heading to the stage. It's time for us to go to the viewing area."

* * *

"Kuchiki-san… I'm afraid…"

Rukia halted her step. After rendezvousing with Orihime at the high school, the three of them were running towards the Menos Grande. "I understand. If you two want to turn back, I wouldn't put it past you. You two are just humans after all." Rukia received no answer. "Inoue?" She turned around to see both Orihime and Chad laying on the ground face down. "Inoue! Chad!"

"… you're going to have to go on without us. I can't seem to move." Chad said, finishing Orihime's original sentence. They were laying in the middle of the street, Chad's arm and Orihime's hairpins having returned to normal.

Rukia quickly ran back and knelt beside them. "… Spiritual exhaustion. How long have you had these powers, you two?"

"… About an hour," Both answered at the same time.

"What!? So, you two just got these powers today and you've been firing off highly dense spiritual energy?" Rukia resisted the urge to smack the pair while they were down. _The humans of Karakura Town don't seem to understand the limitations of being human!_

Rukia retrieved her cell phone from her pocket, dialing the number for Urahara Shoten. "Urahara. I've got a pair of humans that I need you to pick up. They're Ichigo's classmates, and—How did you know they had spir—Nevermind. We're near Karakura square. 2 minutes out? All right. What? Bill me? Are you seriously talking about—All right, all right, fine. Yes, I'll agree to the charges on my account." Rukia flipped her phone closed and returned her attention to Chad and Orihime. "I've sent for help. You two will be fine."

* * *

Karin wiped the sweat off her brow. She had been tirelessly defeating hollow after hollow, taking them out at close range with her mighty kicks and at long range with her soccer ball. "Jeez, there are a lot of them. What is Ichi-nii doing!? Why am I doing his job?" Karin questioned as she kicked her ball at yet another hollow. "I swear if he's slacking off somewhere… or on a date with Rukia-nee or something…" She slammed her foot into the mask of a hollow and watched it disintegrate.

At that moment, a tremendous spirit pressure flooded her senses. It was oppressive to the point of halting all train of thought. "Above…?" Karin whispered as she struggled to move her head against the reiatsu pressing down on her.

A white hand emerged from the black crevasse in the sky. The hole began to expand, and out stepped the most gigantic hollow that Karin had ever seen. "What…" Karin whispered. The hollow opened its mouth and its tongue shot out, impaling several smaller hollows on the ground near the soccer field. A sickening crunch resounded as the giant hollow retracted its tongue and began chewing its hollow victims.

"I have to get out of here," Karin whispered breathlessly, staggering to her feet, hoping to get away before the hollow noticed her.

"Karin!" Suddenly, Karin was swept up in a pair of arms.

"Ichi-nii! What the hell is that thing?"

Ichigo shook his head as he placed Karin back on her feet. He had flash stepped away from the dangerous open area of the field. Now, they were more hidden amongst the trees in the park. Karin took notice of her twin standing next to a high school boy in glasses. He had a puzzled expression on his face as he stared at her.

"Wh-what?" Karin asked pointedly at him.

He turned his gaze away, focusing instead on the giant hollow. "Nevermind. More importantly. That Menos."

"Is that what that thing is called?" Yuzu whispered. Karin saw that Yuzu was staring at the glasses kid with an expression she had never seen before on her twin. "Why did you bring me here too, Ishida-san?"

Karin sighed. Knowing Ichigo, he must have forgotten that Yuzu can't keep up with him when he disappears suddenly. Karin could sense something different about this "Ishida," but she couldn't quite explain it.

Ichigo suddenly grabbed Ishida by the collar and started yelling in his face. "See what you've done? For something stupid like a bet, you've brought out some monster hollow!"

Ishida shoved Ichigo off of him. "Don't go pointing fingers, Kurosaki! Simple hollow bait wouldn't be enough to lure a _Menos_!"

Karin round-house kicked a hollow that slithered up to Yuzu. "Uh, hello? Maybe we should focus on more important matters?" Karin's complaints fell on deaf ears. The two were too invested in hurling insults at each other. She let out a cry of frustration. "Why don't you two just whip 'em out and measure th—"

Karin's vulgar words and her leg halted, winding up to kick the next hollow, as she saw and heard bullets sail through the air, eliminating her target.

"Jinta Home Run!" Yet another hollow was slain, this time by a large bat.

"We've come to save the day~" An annoying, all-too-familiar voice rang out.

"Sandal-hat! Rukia-nee!"

Urahara covered his mouth with his fan, a bemused twinkle in his eye. "In the flesh, Kurosaki-sans!" He lowered his head slightly in greeting. When neither Ichigo nor Ishida halted their heated exchange, Urahara pouted. "Now, boys, it's rude to ignore greetings, especially from your elders."

Rukia rolled her eyes and took a step towards the two, presumably to beat some sense into Ichigo. A hand darted in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. "Tessai-san?"

"Please, Kuchiki-dono. Allow me." The tall, muscular man, who had been carrying both Inoue and Chad over his shoulders, placed the pair against a nearby tree. Both were unconscious. Tessai sauntered over to Ishida and Ichigo, gracefully and effortlessly dodging a hollow that had been flung in his direction by Jinta's bat. "Excuse me, Kurosaki-san." He politely regarded Karin as she stepped to the side, allowing him to continue on his path.

Tessai stopped at Ichigo and Ishida, who were now butting foreheads against each other like goats. Tessai cleared his throat, "Pardon me." With a powerful grunt, he grasped both boys by the collars of their shirts, lifting them into the air as the two shouted expletives and demands to be put down. Tessai walked towards Urahara, the pair trapped within his powerful grip, and dropped the two of them on the ground as they landed gracelessly on their bottoms.

Urahara chuckled. "Now that I have your attention," Urahara ignored the glares from the two young boys. "I would like to re-direct it to _that._ " Urahara gestured to the _menos_ , still slowly lumbering around the park. It was not wreaking havoc upon the hollows as it was earlier, but it was moving in the direction of the city below.

Yuzu chimed in, "How are we supposed to fight that _thing_? It's enormous!"

Ichigo and Karin both glanced at each other at the same time. As if reading what the other was thinking, they grinned and both opened their mouths to speak.

"If you're thinking that you can chop it like a _Daruma_ toy until you reach the mask, then please don't speak."

Ichigo swallowed his words at that moment, scowling at how easily Rukia had figured him out.

Karin continued to smirk, not deterred in the least. "I can—"

"Please don't re-visit our human cannon ball idea again." Rukia whispered gently to Karin. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "Looking back now, it was truly a bad idea."

Karin wore an expression of shock first, then resignation.

Silence fell upon the group, the only break coming from a distant "Jinta Home Run!"

Ichigo shouted in frustration, brandishing his zanpakutou "In the end, our best idea is to just cut and cut—!"

"Would you stop already?" Ishida grabbed the back of Ichigo's blade. The group gasped and took a step back to avoid the expanding bow in Ishida's left hand.

"What the hell, Ishida? Cool it with the giant bow!"

"I'm not doing it on purpose!" Ishida shouted back at Ichigo. At the same time, he released his hold on Ichigo's zanpakutou, allowing his bow to recede to its normal size again. Ishida stared back and forth between Ichigo's zanpakutou and his left hand. "Hmm…"

"Oh, no." Rukia knitted her brows together, placing her fingertips against her forehead.

* * *

"How is this idea any better than my idea?"

"It's marginally better than yours, Ichigo."

"Why am I here?"

"Quiet, the lot of you! You're too noisy! I need to focus!"

Ishida was kneeling on the ground, taking his archer's stance, aiming at the _menos_. Ichigo had taken the position directly behind Ishida, the back blade of his _zanpakutou_ coming into contact with Ishida's head and secured with a bandage. Rukia and Karin were also kneeling beside Ishida, their hands in Ishida's hair, as if his head were a crystal ball.

"Ishida-san…"

"What is it, Kurosaki-san?" Ishida didn't know the names of Kurosaki Ichigo's little sisters. It's not like they really had time to go through introductions and decide proper honorifics.

"Ah, you can call me Yuzu. Did you need me too for your plan?"

Ishida shook his head. "The way you draw your power is different, Yuzu-san. You and I are quincies, and we draw power from the surrounding areas to manifest our spirit weapons. Kuchiki-san, your brother, and your sister all draw their spiritual power from within and redirect it into their spirit weapons."

Yuzu nodded, a disappointed look on her face.

Ishida wasn't sure why or how, but he felt the need to comfort her in this moment. "Right now, your powers are still developing. It's better if I take the lead here; you haven't received any formal training for controlling your powers yet. Just stand back and try not to get hurt."

Clearly, Ishida's attempts to comfort Yuzu were ineffective. Her expression remained unchanged as she turned around and walked towards Urahara. Ishida felt a tug on his scalp and yelped in pain.

"Oops." Karin deadpanned.

Ichigo was much less subtle; he kicked Ishida with the instep of his foot. Ishida ignored the two of them, focusing on aiming his arrow towards the Menos. "All right. I've got a pretty clear shot. Now, I just need a little bit more from you three. Put your spirit power at full strength! On the count of three! One… two…"

The tension built between the four of them. Yuzu watched with bated breath as Urahara and Tessai looked on with no expression. Rukia and Karin nodded, bracing themselves. Rukia took a deep breath as Karin closed her eyes, trying to focus their powers.

"How do I do that?" Ichigo cut in.

All the tension wound up in Yuzu released, as she nearly fell over. "Onii-chan…"

Karin's eye twitched in annoyance as she glared up at her brother. "Stupid Ichi-nii…"

Ichigo glared at his little sister. "Oh, what, so you know what he's talking about?"

He received a glare back. "Yeah, it's called _practice_ , Ichi-nii." Karin bit back, her mind recalling all those nights on the soccer field.

Rukia released the breath she was holding as a sigh of exasperation escaped her. "What does Urahara even teach you…"

Urahara looked fractionally more amused than he had earlier. Tessai's face remained unchanged.

Ishida hissed, "Are you kidding me? What kind of Shinigami are you? You don't know how to control your _reiatsu_?"

"It's not like I'm a faucet! Everyone keeps telling me that I've got some weird-ass monster spiritual power! No matter how many times it's explained to me, I don't get the difference between _reiatsu_ and _reiryoku_. I figured I'm just always at max level! It's not like I'm ever holding anything back!"

"That's absurd! If your _reiatsu_ was constantly at full blast, your _reiryoku_ would—"

All arguments ceased at that moment as everyone stared up at the _menos_ at the same time. Karin and Yuzu couldn't even lift their heads to look up; the building spirit pressure was nearly suffocating them. "That thing is…"

"It's building power to fire a _cero_ …" Rukia whispered.

Ishida shouted, "Everyone, resume positions! Before it has a chance to fire, we have to—" Before Ishida could finish, Ichigo ripped the bandage from Ishida's head, sprinting towards the _menos._ "Kurosaki! You have no chance by yourself!"

"Ichi-nii!" Karin shouted after her brother. She tried to run towards her brother but was caught up in a strong pair of arms. "What the? Let me go!" She started flailing her legs, as her arms were rendered immobile by Tessai.

"Well, why don't we just watch and see what Kurosaki Ichigo is capable of." Urahara said cryptically.

"Are you crazy? Ichigo will—!" Rukia fell to her knees mid-sentence. She barely managed to choke out, "A binding spell…" Rukia glared up at Tessai, still restraining a flagrant Kurosaki Karin.

Just then, a beam of dark energy shot down from the mouth of the _menos_. If it weren't for the menacing energy from the blast, Ishida would have compared it to divine retribution. "Kurosaki!" Ishida shouted as Ichigo blocked the beam with his _zanpakutou_. Suddenly, a look of revelation came across Ishida's face. "It… would be absurd if his _reiatsu_ was constantly at full blast…" The rise in spiritual pressure became palpable for everyone who could sense it. The fact was undeniable. "Ichigo's baseline is the lowest possible output for him."

Ichigo roared as he placed his palm against the back of his blade, holding back the beam of the _cero_ as if he were Atlas holding up the weight of the world. Ishida could only marvel at the sight before him. The seconds felt like hours. _This spiritual power is so dense! For Ichigo to let this much out for the first time, all at once, it must feel like his body and spirit are being ripped apart!_ Regardless, Ichigo refused to back down. Ishida looked on as he saw the beam beginning to dissipate as it began to reach the tail end of its fire.

Still, Ichigo's _reiatsu_ continued to rise, seemingly with no end in sight. With no beam weighing Ichigo down, Ishida watched in awe as Ichigo's _reiatsu_ sliced through the Menos, seemingly cleaving it in half. "What a monster…" Ishida whispered. "It's… retreating."

True enough, the _menos_ began to slowly disappear into a dark portal, which also faded away as if it had never been there in the first place. Ichigo held up a V sign with his two fingers. "Hell yeah! Victory!" He roared at the top of his lungs before suddenly collapsing onto the ground, face-down.

"Kurosaki!" Ishida shouted as he ran towards Ichigo's collapsed body. Karin, Rukia, and Yuzu were close behind. They all winced as they approached. "This density…" The air was still heavy and suffocating surrounding Ichigo; the zanpakutou began to warp as if unable to maintain its form.

"What the hell is going on!?" Karin shouted.

Rukia held up her arms in front of her face, trying to brace herself against the weight of Ichigo's unbridled powers. "Ichigo tapped too deep into his _reiryoku_ and released too much _reiatsu_ at once! His raw _reiryoku_ is leaving his body at too fast of a rate for his spirit to direct and properly control!"

"What the hell does that mean!?" Karin shouted back.

Ishida stepped in at that moment and placed his foot over Ichigo's misshapen _zanpakutou_. "It means his spirit is in haywire!" Ishida winced as he felt Ichigo's unrefined spirit course through his body. It felt like his blood vessels were on fire and would slice him open at any moment.

"Ishida!" Ichigo shouted.

"Shut up! Our fight isn't over yet! You can't die from being too ridiculously powerful!" Ishida yelled back at him.

"But… I thought you hated Shinigami… Why are you—"

"It's what my grandfather would have wanted!" Ishida barked back. "My grandfather… he always wanted the quincy and the Shinigami to cooperate. He believed that there was a path that they could walk together and maintain the balance while protecting innocents. But… one day, the Shinigami who mocked him for his ideas of peace and cooperation…" Ishida clenched his teeth as he felt the surge of Ichigo's spiritual power course through his body. "They left my grandfather to be eaten by hollows! My grandfather… could have easily killed those hollows. But, he wanted to maintain the balance and wait for the Shinigami to arrive. And because of that…!"

Ichigo looked at Ishida with sympathy. In the end, they were both just two grieving teenagers, wishing to bring peace to their loved ones.

"I know he would have hated this stupid bet! But, whenever I think of the Shinigami who failed to save him…" Ishida shut his eyes, self-loathing building within. _I have to blame the Shinigami… Prove that I'm stronger than the Shinigami…Otherwise, it's_ my _fault… My weakness and cowardice killed him._

Ishida felt blood trickle down his forearm as he focused the built-up spiritual power into his fingertips, formed an arrow, and fired into the sky. Ishida grit his teeth, trying to fire arrows through the pain that was literally ripping his _reishi_ system apart. _I just have to redirect the excess, raw spirit energy and make it through until his spirit can get back under control!_ Ishida closed his eyes; the pain was unbearable. _I can't lose! But, even I have my limits…!_

Just then, Ishida heard the sound of another arrow, separate from his own being fired. He opened his eyes and saw Yuzu, taking a similar stance as him. Though it had its flaws and her bow was much less refined, it was unmistakable. Yuzu had formed a spirit weapon just from watching him. Ishida's eyes fell upon the silver earrings on Yuzu's ears: a pair of eight-pointed, Maltese crosses.

Ishida shook himself out of his stupor and doubled back to firing off the excess energy from his bow. Even with Yuzu's help, the shooting pain through his system was just about unbearable, but the burden was lightened. Ishida hissed at Ichigo, "You can't imagine how painful this is, Kurosaki! For your sister's and my sakes, hurry up and get your monstrous spiritual power back under control!"

At that, Ichigo closed his eyes, thinking of how to calm down his spirit and rein it all in. He took a deep breath, trying to cleanse himself. It seemed to be working; Ishida could feel the dulling of the spiritual power. Though it still felt like needles, at least it didn't feel like white-hot, tiny blades burning and slicing through his veins.

After a few more seconds and the last arrow left the fingertips of the two quincies, Yuzu and Ishida both collapsed to their knees, blood flowing from their fingertips as they leaned against each other for support. Both were heaving breaths of relief as the weight of Ichigo's spiritual pressure was lifted. _Today… I saved a Shinigami, grandfather. I wanted… to avenge you. To bring you peace._ Ishida looked over at Yuzu, eyes shut, and still trying to catch her breath. _But, you were right all along. I'm sorry for being so stubborn. Can you forgive me?_


End file.
